COPENHAGEN, Jan 31 — Novo Nordisk will more than double supplies of lower doses of its obesity drug Wegovy in the United States compared with recent months, CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen said today, as the Danish drugmaker ramps up output of its popular therapy.

The boost in weekly injection volumes means some new patients can start treatment, he said. Weekly US prescription data will start reflecting that in the coming weeks, he added.

Novo has been unable to meet runaway demand for Wegovy, and in May began limiting the number of US patients who could start treatment by reducing supply of the lowest three doses of the appetite-suppressing weekly injection.

While the Danish drugmaker said today it was boosting supplies of lower strength Wegovy doses to the US market, the company has not officially lifted that restriction.

Four out of five dose strengths of Wegovy remain in shortage in the United States, according to the US Food and Drug Administration website.

About 54,150 new US prescriptions were written for the week to January 19, down from a peak of 135,000 in May, according to data from healthcare data firm IQVIA reviewed by Reuters. — Reuters