According to the Zhitong Financial APP, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) stated on Thursday that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) supports the use of its popular drug Wegovy to alleviate heart failure in obese patients. This marks the second time the regulatory agency has supported the use of Wegovy for purposes other than weight loss, further reinforcing Novo Nordisk's multiple health benefits.

In addition, the agency also supports the use of Wegovy to reduce the major cardiovascular risks and stroke in overweight or obese adults without diabetes.

Novo Nordisk expects to soon update the label for use in common heart diseases related to obesity, allowing the medicine to be used in patients with obesity-related heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF is a condition characterized by stiffening and reduced blood volume in the heart muscle, accounting for about half of heart failure cases, with symptoms including shortness of breath and limb swelling.

Late-stage study data showed that after one year of taking Wegovy, patients' weight decreased, and their scores on a 100-point health scale based on a range of heart failure-related criteria increased by 16.6 points. Novo Nordisk said that the drug also improved physical limitations and exercise capacity in patients with this disease.

Since 2022, this blockbuster drug, chemically known as semaglutide, has been approved by the European Union for the treatment of obesity. The drug belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, which help regulate blood sugar and suppress appetite.

Eli Lilly (LLY.US), the American competitor of Novo Nordisk, has also been approved in the European Union for weight loss with its drug tirzepatide. In a trial targeting patients with preserved ejection fraction and obesity, tirzepatide showed a 38% reduction in heart failure risk.

Novo Nordisk reiterates its plan to resubmit data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the USA next year for Wegovy to relieve heart failure in obese patients.