(AP) – FDA approves obesity drug that helped people cut weight 15% Regulators say a new version of a popular diabetes medicine can be sold as a weight-loss drug in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Wegovy. It’s a higher-dose version of a diabetes drug from the Danish company Novo Nordisk. In company-funded studies, participants taking Wegovy had average weight loss of 15%. Participants lost weight steadily for 16 months before plateauing. In a comparison group getting dummy shots, the average weight loss was about 2.5%. More than 100 million adults in the U.S. are obese. Like other weight-loss drugs, it’s supposed to be used along with exercise and a healthy diet.