At some point this summer, the drugmaker Novo Nordisk will release results from a closely watched study that, if successful, could further uncork demand for new obesity medications, streamline insurance coverage for the therapies, and demonstrate long-lasting health benefits.
The Select trial, as the study is called, is the first large, randomized trial to test whether long-term treatment with a weight loss drug can meaningfully improve patients’ cardiovascular health. Novo is testing Wegovy, a weekly injection also sold under the brand name Ozempic for type 2 diabetes, against placebo in the five-year study.
The implications are massive, and not just for Novo. Wegovy is part of a class of medicines that target a hormone called GLP-1, which curbs patients’ appetites. Those drugs have demonstrated an ability to help people lose dramatic amounts of weight in clinical trials, but payers, including Medicare, have been slow to reimburse for them without definitive data on their long-term health benefits.