March 19 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk said on

Thursday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a

higher dose of its blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy to reduce

excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term.

The 7.2 milligram dose of Wegovy received a priority review

voucher to speed up the review time, in a first approval of a

GLP-1 treatment under the Commissioner's National Priority

Voucher program.

The approval was based on results that showed patients who

were given the 7.2 mg dose once weekly recorded 20.7% weight

loss on average and about one in three people experienced 25% or

greater weight loss.

Novo Nordisk expects to launch the higher dose of Wegovy in

a single-dose pen in the U.S. in April.

The higher dose is already approved in the UK to be

administered as three separate injections.