Wegovy® Obesity Marketing Team
Novo Nordisk Inc.
Agency Partner: ConcentricLife
Novo Nordisk Team Members:
Aneil Batra
Anne Feilberg McCaughan
Shipra Pandya
Liz Noumoff
Bobby Cipolla
Gabrielle Ann Constantini
John Addrizzo
Kyla Williams
Shannon Kelly
Yvonne Bryant
Keli Rising
Christine Szymanski
Allison Harper
Caroline Gargiulo
Zipporah Herzig
Kathy Petus
Mark Materacky
Jeff Eiben
Liz Skrbkova
Colleen Bennett
Laszlo Szanka
Leading the Transformation of Obesity Care
Novo Nordisk has been a pioneer in the obesity therapeutic category for 20 years and introduced its first anti-obesity medication (AOM), Saxenda®, in 2015. However, when it came time to launch Wegovy®, Novo Nordisk’s latest FDA-approved medication for chronic weight management, the company did so with a rebuilt marketing team as the pandemic forced everyone into virtual work.
But the pandemic also made increasing understanding around obesity even more important than ever as new data emerged that people living with obesity were at increased risk of complications from COVID-19. The team also had to act faster than originally planned as the opportunity to use a priority review voucher would allow Novo Nordisk to launch the product in June 2021—seven months early.
In collaboration with agency partners at ConcentricLife, the team prepared for the U.S. launch just 72-hours post FDA approval. The immediate uptake of Wegovy® was unprecedented. AOMs are not broadly available among commercially insured patients. AOMs are also not covered by Medicare and there is limited Medicaid coverage. As a result, it is estimated that only two to three out of 10 people living with obesity have AOM prescription coverage. Wegovy’s launch was the fastest and most rapid uptake of a product in Novo Nordisk’s history.
The unprecedented market response led to a very rapid uptake, which coupled with manufacturing challenges, led to product supply disruptions. Demonstrating agility, the marketing team took several steps to help meet the needs of stakeholders as Novo Nordisk navigated the supply challenges. For instance, they worked with the Novo Nordisk communications team to ensure all stakeholders were made aware of the product supply situation through a single source of truth (WegovySupply.com). They also communicated the importance of prioritizing patients who had already begun their weight-loss journey with Wegovy® and asked HCPs not to start new patients on Wegovy®.
As 2022 was ending, Novo Nordisk stabilized supply of all five doses of Wegovy®. Since its re-entry in the market, the company has observed even steeper uptake and interest from HCPs and consumers. With the launch of Wegovy®, the conversation about obesity has forever changed.
