Novo Nordisk announced on November 25, 2021, that Health Canada has approved Wegovy? (semaglutide injection), the first-and-only prescription weight-loss medication with once-weekly dosing. Wegovy? is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adult patients with an initial body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obesity), or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbidity such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, or obstructive sleep apnea. Wegovy? is expected to be commercially available in Canada in the fall of 2022. The efficacy and safety of Wegovy? is supported by data from the STEP (Semaglutide Treatment Effect in People with Obesity) clinical trial program. STEP is a phase 3 clinical development program with once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg in obesity. The global clinical phase 3a program consists of four pivotal trials and has enrolled approximately 4,500 adults with overweight or obesity. The trials investigated Wegovy? compared with placebo, both in addition to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity as a means of achieving a reduction in body weight. In the STEP trials, the primary outcome measure was the change in body weight of randomized patients from baseline (week 0) to week 68. In the large phase 3a trial, STEP 1, results showed that patients taking Wegovy? achieved a mean weight loss of 15% ? 17% (16kg ? 19 kg) sustained over 68 weeks. In addition, 83.5% of patients achieved 5% or more body weight reduction in the Wegovy? arm vs. 31.1% for placebo. Participants who received Wegovy? also had clinically meaningful improvements in physical function and treatment benefits were observed in the secondary endpoints including waist circumference and cardiometabolic parameters".1 The most frequently reported adverse events were nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, headache and fatigue. Wegovy? is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adult patients with an initial body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obesity), or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbidity such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, or obstructive sleep apnea. Wegovy? is currently approved in Canadathe United States and the United Kingdom and is under review in the European Union and other countries.