- Novo Nordisk shared new data at the European Congress on Obesity.
Novo Nordisk announced data on May 13, demonstrating that Wegovy® (semaglutide 2.4 mg and 7.2 mg) delivers substantial and consistent weight-loss results for women with obesity across reproductive life stages, from premenopausal years through the menopause transition and beyond.
The findings are based on the STEP-UP clinical weight management trial, the landmark SELECT clinical cardiovascular trial and one large-scale real-world evidence study, all presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey1-3. The studies show that when women with obesity lose weight with semaglutide, they improve their body composition with reduced waist circumference, indicative of less visceral fat, and they also reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes while improving their quality of life, from migraine burden to depression and menopause symptoms1-3.
“For women with obesity, hormonal changes during menopause can drive weight gain and increase the risk of a heart attack,” said Mette Thomsen, group vice president and head of Global Medical Affairs at Novo Nordisk. “New clinical and real-world data presented at ECO demonstrate that effective weight management with semaglutide around menopause addresses medical complications of obesity, such as heart disease and metabolic dysfunction. It also addresses daily burdens such as migraine, depression and menopause-related challenges. We are excited to share new insights that may benefit the many women living with obesity.”
Weight loss and heart health data
In a post-hoc analysis of the STEP-UP trial, premenopausal women with obesity lost an average of 22.6%* of their body weight on once-weekly high-dose Wegovy® (semaglutide 7.2 mg) with over 4 in 10 (41.4%) achieving exceptional 25% or more weight loss, compared with placebo. Perimenopausal and postmenopausal women achieved weight loss of 19.7% and 19.8%, respectively*. By the end of the trial (week 72), nearly half of women in all groups had shifted from obesity categories (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) to the overweight (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2) or normal range weight categories (body mass index 18.5-24.9 kg/m2). The average waist circumference reduction was 17.5%, 15.6% and 15.3% in pre, peri, and postmenopausal women, respectively, indicating major loss of dangerous visceral fat.
In a post-hoc analysis of the SELECT trial, perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with obesity and heart disease experienced meaningful risk reductions in heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death. The results were consistent with the overall SELECT trial findings and showed a numerically larger risk reduction in the perimenopausal women (42% lower risk compared to placebo) compared to the postmenopausal women (13% lower risk compared to placebo), although the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that semaglutide can lower the cardiovascular risks significantly in women with obesity going through menopause, regardless of their menopausal stage.
Findings also showed that taking Wegovy® with or without menopausal hormone therapy, was associated with a lower risk of migraine and depression compared to taking menopausal hormone therapy alone.
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