April 24 (Reuters) -

About 3.6 million overweight or obese patients with heart

conditions insured under the U.S. Medicare program could be

eligible for coverage of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss

drug Wegovy, a study published by Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)

showed on Wednesday.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Wegovy was approved by the U.S. health regulator last month

for lowering the risk of stroke and heart attack in overweight

or obese adults who do not have diabetes.

The additional approval would expand Medicare coverage for

Wegovy and coverage by other insurers for such adults with heart

conditions.

Medicare prescription drug plans administered by private

insurers, known as Part D, currently cannot cover drugs that are

approved solely for obesity.

However, under a new guidance, such drugs would be paid for

if they receive U.S. approval for a secondary use that Medicare

does cover.

BY THE NUMBERS

The approval would potentially allow just over a quarter of

the 13.7 million Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with heart

disease and obesity to use Wegovy, the KFF study showed.

Among the eligible patients, 1.9 million people also had

diabetes, according to the study, making them already eligible

for Medicare coverage of other drugs like Novo's Ozempic, which

has the same active ingredient as Wegovy and is approved for

diabetes.

WHAT'S NEXT

While some Part D plans have announced they will begin

covering Wegovy this year, a broader coverage could be expected

in 2025, the study said.

How the expanded Wegovy coverage will impact Medicare

spending will depend in part on how many Part D plans add

coverage for it, and the extent to which plans apply

restrictions on use like prior authorization.

It would also depend on how many people who qualify to take

the drug use it and negotiated prices paid by plans.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Varun H K)