BUZZ-Novo falls on weight loss drug data, 2027 Medicare price talks

U.S.-listed shares of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk NOVOb.CO fall ~4.7% to $79.2 premarket

Co says a 7.2 milligram (mg) dose of its drug semaglutide, the active ingredient in its blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy, helped overweight patients cut their weight by 20.7% in a late-stage trial

In comparison, Eli Lilly's LLY.N late-stage trial for tirzepatide had shown weight loss of up to 22.5%, says Leerink analyst David Risinger

Seperately, the U.S. government says Novo's diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Wegovy are among the 15 drugs targeted for Medicare price negotiations for 2027

Makers of the selected drugs will have until Feb. 28 to decide if they will participate in the negotiations

Last year, the U.S. government negotiated price cuts that ranged from 38% to 79% for 10 highly popular prescription drugs used by Medicare, which will be effective in 2026

Up to last close, Novo stock down 21.9% in the last 12 months

(Reporting by Christy Santhosh)

((Christy.Santhosh@thomsonreuters.com))