Dosage & Administration
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Wegovy Prescribing Information
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- In rodents, semaglutide causes dose-dependent and treatment-duration-dependent thyroid C-cell tumors at clinically relevant exposures. It is unknown whether WEGOVY causes thyroid C-cell tumors, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), in humans as human relevance of semaglutide-induced rodent thyroid C-cell tumors has not been determined [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1), Nonclinical Toxicology ( 13.1)].
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- WEGOVY is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of MTC or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2) [see Contraindications ( 4)]. Counsel patients regarding the potential risk for MTC with the use of WEGOVY and inform them of symptoms of thyroid tumors (e.g., a mass in the neck, dysphagia, dyspnea, persistent hoarseness). Routine monitoring of serum calcitonin or using thyroid ultrasound is of uncertain value for early detection of MTC in patients treated with WEGOVY [see Contraindications ( 4), Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1)].
WEGOVY is indicated in combination with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity:
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- to reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, or non-fatal stroke) in adults with established cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight.
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- to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in:
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- Adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with obesity
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- Adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.
Limitations of Use
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- WEGOVY contains semaglutide. Coadministration with other semaglutide-containing products or with any other GLP-1 receptor agonist is not recommended.
Important Monitoring and Administration Instructions
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- In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, monitor blood glucose prior to starting WEGOVY and during WEGOVY treatment [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)].
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- Prior to initiation of WEGOVY, train patients on proper injection technique. Refer to the accompanying Instructions for Use for complete administration instructions with illustrations.
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- Inspect WEGOVY visually prior to each injection. Only use if solution is clear, colorless, and contains no particles.
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- Administer WEGOVY in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.
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- Administer WEGOVY once weekly, on the same day each week, at any time of day, with or without meals.
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- Inject WEGOVY subcutaneously in the abdomen, thigh, or upper arm. The time of day and the injection site can be changed without dose adjustment.
Recommended Dosage in Adults and Pediatric Patients Aged 12 Years and Older
Dosage Initiation and Escalation
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- Initiate WEGOVY with a dosage of 0.25 mg injected subcutaneously once weekly. Follow the dosage initiation and escalation in Table 1 to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal adverse reactions [see Warnings and Precautions , Adverse Reactions ].
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- If patients do not tolerate a dose during dosage escalation, consider delaying dosage escalation for 4 weeks.
Table 1. Recommended Dosage Escalation in Adults and Pediatric Patients Aged 12 Years and Older
Treatment | Weeks | Once weekly Subcutaneous Dosage |
Initiation | 1 through 4 | 0.25 mg |
Escalation | 5 through 8 | 0.5 mg |
9 through 12 | 1 mg | |
13 through 16 | 1.7 mg | |
Maintenance | 17 and onward | 1.7 mg or 2.4 mg |
Maintenance Dosage
- The maintenance dosage of WEGOVY is either 2.4 mg (recommended) or 1.7 mg once weekly. Consider treatment response and tolerability when selecting the maintenance dosage [see Adverse Reactions ( 6.1), Clinical Studies ( 14.2, 14.3)].
Recommendations Regarding Missed Dose
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- If one dose is missed and the next scheduled dose is more than 2 days away (48 hours), administer WEGOVY as soon as possible. If one dose is missed and the next scheduled dose is less than 2 days away (48 hours), do not administer the dose. Resume dosing on the regularly scheduled day of the week.
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- If 2 or more consecutive doses are missed, resume dosing as scheduled or, if needed, reinitiate WEGOVY and follow the dose escalation schedule, which may reduce the occurrence of gastrointestinal symptoms associated with reinitiation of treatment.
Injection: clear, colorless solution available in 5 prefilled, disposable, single-dose pens:
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- 0.25 mg/0.5 mL
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- 0.5 mg/0.5 mL
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- 1 mg/0.5 mL
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- 1.7 mg/0.75 mL
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- 2.4 mg/0.75 mL
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Exposure Registry
There will be a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to semaglutide during pregnancy. Pregnant women exposed to WEGOVY and healthcare providers are encouraged to contact Novo Nordisk at 1-877-390-2760 or www.wegovypregnancyregistry.com.
Risk Summary
Based on animal reproduction studies, there may be potential risks to the fetus from exposure to semaglutide during pregnancy. Additionally, weight loss offers no benefit to a pregnant patient and may cause fetal harm. When a pregnancy is recognized, advise the pregnant patient of the risk to a fetus, and discontinue WEGOVY (see Clinical Considerations). Available pharmacovigilance data and data from clinical trials with WEGOVY use in pregnant patients are insufficient to establish a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes.
In pregnant rats administered semaglutide during organogenesis, embryofetal mortality, structural abnormalities and alterations to growth occurred at maternal exposures below the maximum recommended human dose (MRHD) based on AUC. In rabbits and cynomolgus monkeys administered semaglutide during organogenesis, early pregnancy losses and structural abnormalities were observed at below the MRHD (rabbit) and greater than or equal to 2-fold the MRHD (monkey). These findings coincided with a marked maternal body weight loss in both animal species (see Data).
The estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population are unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively.
Clinical Considerations
Disease-associated maternal and/or embryo/fetal risk
Appropriate weight gain based on pre-pregnancy weight is currently recommended for all pregnant patients, including those who already have overweight or obesity, because of the obligatory weight gain that occurs in maternal tissues during pregnancy.
Data
Animal Data
In a combined fertility and embryofetal development study in rats, subcutaneous doses of 0.01, 0.03 and 0.09 mg/kg/day (0.04-, 0.1-, and 0.4-fold the MRHD) were administered to males for 4 weeks prior to and throughout mating and to females for 2 weeks prior to mating, and throughout organogenesis to Gestation Day 17. In parental animals, pharmacologically mediated reductions in body weight gain and food consumption were observed at all dose levels. In the offspring, reduced growth and fetuses with visceral (heart blood vessels) and skeletal (cranial bones, vertebra, ribs) abnormalities were observed at the human exposure.
In an embryofetal development study in pregnant rabbits, subcutaneous doses of 0.0010, 0.0025 or 0.0075 mg/kg/day (0.01-, 0.1-, and 0.9-fold the MRHD) were administered throughout organogenesis from Gestation Day 6 to 19. Pharmacologically mediated reductions in maternal body weight gain and food consumption were observed at all dose levels. Early pregnancy losses and increased incidences of minor visceral (kidney, liver) and skeletal (sternebra) fetal abnormalities were observed at greater than or equal to 0.0025 mg/kg/day, at clinically relevant exposures.
In an embryofetal development study in pregnant cynomolgus monkeys, subcutaneous doses of 0.015, 0.075, and 0.15 mg/kg twice weekly (0.4-, 2-, and 6-fold the MRHD) were administered throughout organogenesis, from Gestation Day 16 to 50. Pharmacologically mediated, marked initial maternal body weight loss and reductions in body weight gain and food consumption coincided with the occurrence of sporadic abnormalities (vertebra, sternebra, ribs) at greater than or equal to 0.075 mg/kg twice weekly (greater than or equal to 2 times human exposure).
In a pre- and postnatal development study in pregnant cynomolgus monkeys, subcutaneous doses of 0.015, 0.075, and 0.15 mg/kg twice weekly (0.2-, 1-, and 3-fold the MRHD) were administered from Gestation Day 16 to 140. Pharmacologically mediated marked initial maternal body weight loss and reductions in body weight gain and food consumption coincided with an increase in early pregnancy losses and led to delivery of slightly smaller offspring at greater than or equal to 0.075 mg/kg twice weekly (greater than or equal to 1-time human exposure).
Lactation
Risk Summary
There are no data on the presence of semaglutide or its metabolites in human milk, the effects on the breastfed infant, or the effects on milk production. Semaglutide was present in the milk of lactating rats. When a drug is present in animal milk, it is likely that the drug will be present in human milk (see Data). The developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for WEGOVY and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed infant from WEGOVY or from the underlying maternal condition.
Data
In lactating rats, semaglutide was detected in milk at levels 3- to 12-fold lower than in maternal plasma.
Females and Males of Reproductive Potential
Because of the potential for fetal harm, discontinue WEGOVY in patients at least 2 months before they plan to become pregnant to account for the long half-life of semaglutide [see Use in Specific Populations ( 8.1)].
Pediatric Use
The safety and effectiveness of WEGOVY as an adjunct to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight reduction and long-term maintenance have been established in pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with obesity. Use of WEGOVY for this indication is supported by a 68-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in 201 pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with a BMI corresponding to ≥95th percentile for age and sex [see Clinical Studies ] and from studies in adult patients with obesity [see Clinical Studies ]. Use of the 1.7 mg once weekly maintenance dosage of WEGOVY in pediatric patients is also supported by additional exposure-efficacy and safety analyses in pooled adult and pediatric patients.
Adverse reactions with WEGOVY treatment in pediatric patients aged 12 years and older were generally similar to those reported in adults. Pediatric patients aged 12 years and older treated with WEGOVY had greater incidences of cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, hypotension, rash, and urticaria compared to adults treated with WEGOVY [see Adverse Reactions ].
There are insufficient data in pediatric patients with type 2 diabetes treated with WEGOVY for obesity to determine if there is an increased risk of hypoglycemia with WEGOVY treatment similar to that reported in adults. Inform patients of the risk of hypoglycemia and educate them on the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia. In pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with type 2 diabetes, monitor blood glucose prior to starting WEGOVY and during WEGOVY treatment. When initiating WEGOVY in pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with type 2 diabetes, consider reducing the dose of concomitantly administered insulin secretagogue (such as sulfonylureas) or insulin to reduce the risk of hypoglycemia [see Warnings and Precautions ].
The safety and effectiveness of WEGOVY have not been established in pediatric patients less than 12 years of age.
Geriatric Use
In the WEGOVY clinical trials for weight reduction and long-term maintenance, 233 (9%) WEGOVY-treated patients were aged 65 to 75 years and 23 (1%) WEGOVY-treated patients were aged 75 years and older [see Clinical Studies (14.2)]. In a cardiovascular outcomes trial, 2656 (30%) WEGOVY-treated patients were aged 65 to 75 years and 703 (8%) WEGOVY-treated patients were aged 75 years and older [see Clinical Studies (14.1)]. No overall difference in effectiveness was observed between patients aged 65 years and older and younger adult patients. In the cardiovascular outcomes trial, patients aged 75 years and older reported more fractures of the hip and pelvis on WEGOVY than on placebo. Patients aged 75 years and older (WEGOVY-treated and placebo-treated) reported more serious adverse reactions overall compared to younger adult patients [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)].
Renal Impairment
The recommended dosage of WEGOVY in patients with renal impairment is the same as those with normal renal function. In a study in patients with renal impairment, including end-stage renal disease, no clinically relevant change in semaglutide pharmacokinetics was observed [see Clinical Pharmacology ].
Hepatic Impairment
The recommended dosage of WEGOVY in patients with hepatic impairment is the same as those with normal hepatic function. In a study in patients with different degrees of hepatic impairment, no clinically relevant change in semaglutide pharmacokinetics was observed [see Clinical Pharmacology ].
WEGOVY is contraindicated in the following conditions:
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- A personal or family history of MTC or in patients with MEN 2 [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1)].
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- A prior serious hypersensitivity reaction to semaglutide or to any of the excipients in WEGOVY. Serious hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis and angioedema, have been reported with WEGOVY [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7)].