Novo Nordisk's obesity drug Wegovy debuts in Thailand
BANGKOK, April 28 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), opens new tab has launched its hugely popular weight-loss drug Wegovy in Thailand, an executive of the Danish drugmaker's local subsidiary said on Monday, marking the injectable drug's first entry into the Southeast Asian market.
First launched in 2021, Wegovy helped make Novo Nordisk Europe's most valuable listed company until recently, worth $615 billion at its peak.
here.
Wegovy is available in more than a dozen countries including the United States, Japan and China, with Thailand becoming its latest market.
"We actually received the Thai FDA approval already in 2023," said Enrico Canal Bruland, vice president and general manager of Novo's Thai subsidiary. He noted that Novo was making Wegovy available in Thailand ahead of rival Eli Lilly 's (LLY.N), opens new tab Zepbound weight loss drug.
Bruland declined to provide details on Wegovy's pricing in Thailand, which has a population of around 66 million, or Novo Nordisk's plans for expansion into other Southeast Asian markets.
Wegovy is currently available for prescription in private hospitals around the country and will be available soon in public hospitals, Bruland said.
"Over the last four years, we have invested approximately 500 million Thai baht in clinical trials in Thailand," he said.
Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, which contains the same active ingredient as Wegovy, is already available in Thailand.
About 42% of Thailand's adult population is considered obese, and the rate of obesity in school children surged from 5.8% to 15% within two decades, according to data from the country's health ministry.
"If we then look at the economic impact that this has, approximately 1 percent of GDP is used for health-related costs that come with obesity and productivity loss," Bruland said.
"We believe with this innovation, we can make a big difference and hopefully bend this curve."
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They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. 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Dr Bassel Wattar, a consultant gynaecologist and medical director of clinical trials at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: 'It's not the medication itself, but the weight loss that helps regulate a woman's hormones allowing her ovaries to function properly again. 'Pregnancy is more of a happy side effect.'
