Final Approval for Saxenda in Europe

The European Commission granted final approval late yesterday for Novo Nordisk’s Saxenda brand of liraglutide 3mg to treat obesity. Saxenda is the first obesity treatment in nearly a decade to receive approval in Europe. Novo Nordisk is already in the final stages of preparing to launch Saxenda in the U.S., where it was approved late last year.

Approval for a second new obesity drug, Mysimba (a combination of naltrexone and bupropion known as Contrave in the U.S.), is expected to follow soon. The European Medicines Agency recommended its approval in December.

The last new drug approved for treating obesity in Europe was Sanofi’s rimonabant, branded as Accomplia. It was approved in 2006 by European regulators, but rejected by the FDA in 2007. It was removed from the European market by early 2009.

Saxenda’s approval covers all 28 member states of the European Union. Novo Nordisk plans to introduce Saxenda in several European markets later this year.

Click here to read more from Reuters, here to read the press release from Novo Nordisk, here for more on Mysimba, and here to read more from ConscienHealth.

Night Lights of Europe, photograph by NASA / flickr

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