Wegovy is approved for obesity but is also under investigation in a range of other indications. Image credit: Shutterstock / KK Stock.

Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy has shown promising benefits in treating a common, chronic skin condition hidradenitis suppurative (HS) in a study by researchers at St Vincent’s University Hospital, Ireland.

Patients with obesity, in which HS is a common comorbidity, who received Wegovy (semaglutide) as a treatment for HS experienced fewer flare-ups and a reduction in flareup frequency from once every 8.5 weeks to once every 12 weeks.

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The results were presented at the 2024 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress taking place in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from 25 to 28 September.

Lead researcher Dr Daniel Lyons commented: “Our findings suggest that semaglutide, even at modest doses, can offer substantial benefits in managing HS. While the drug’s role in promoting weight loss is well-established, what’s particularly exciting is its potential to also reduce the frequency of HS flareups, contributing to the notable improvements observed in patients’ quality of life.”

In the study, 30 patients with obesity and varying stages of HS received 0.8mg Wegovy, once weekly for an average of 8.2 months. Beyond flareup reduction, patients also experienced quality of life (QoL) improvements, recorded in the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DQLI).

As expected given its approval in obesity, the average BMI of patients reduced from 43.1 to 41.5 and their mean weight dropped from 117.7kg to 111.6kg, with a third of patients losing 10kg or more.

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Lyons added that the study results could represent a breakthrough in HS treatment and has called for larger randomised controlled trials would be necessary to validate its findings.

Commonly affecting women and characterised by painful abscesses and scarring, HS has few effective treatment options and is thought to affect around one in 100 people.

Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) marketed under the name Wegovy for obesity and Ozempic for type 2 diabetes. GlobalData predicts combined sales of Wegovy and Ozempic to reach $41.84bn in 2030.

GlobalData is the parent company of the Clinical Trials Arena.

The GLP1-RA market is heavily dominated by Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy/Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound/Mounjaro (tirzepatide). Sponsors and institutions are currently investigating these candidates in other indications beyond cardiology and metabolic disorders.

There have been global shortages of these types of drugs which are expected to continue until at least the end of this year as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly try to increase manufacturing capabilities to meet the ever-growing demand.