The anti-obesity medication Wegovy® has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cardiovascular risk reduction in people with overweight or obesity and an established cardiovascular disease. The approval is based on the SELECT cardiovascular outcomes trial, which demonstrated that Wegovy® statistically significantly reduced the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events.

Obesity care is both life-saving and life-changing. The FDA label change for Semaglutide demonstrates this clearly, with a 20% reduction in major adverse cardiac events for people with existing cardiovascular conditions. Payers should have been providing coverage for anti-obesity medications prior to the announcement. Now, there should be no doubt that this treatment must be covered. Lives are at stake.

For media inquiries, please contact Kendall Griffey, OAC’s Communications Manager, at kgriffey@obesityaction.org.

The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC), a more than 80,000-member-strong National nonprofit organization, is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by the disease of obesity through education, advocacy and support.