Patients who took Wigovy felt less tired, had less leg swelling, experienced less shortness of breath and were able to walk farther in six minutes than those who took a placebo, researchers reported Saturday in the New England Journal of・Published in Medicine. Wegovy patients were also less likely to report serious medical problems.

The study is the latest in a series of large-scale trials Novo is conducting to prove Wegovy can help people with conditions ranging from knee arthritis to cardiovascular disease. The Danish drugmaker is using the results to build an argument that cost-conscious insurers should pay for the drug, which has a list price of about $1,350 a month in the United States.

The heart failure study published Saturday is part of a pair of trials investigating heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Ejection fraction is a condition that occurs when the lower chambers of the heart pump out less blood than the body needs. According to a paper published last year in the medical journal JAMA, it affects about 3 million people in the United States and 32 million people worldwide, with an annual mortality rate of about 15%.

Novo disclosed early results from its heart failure study when it reported fourth-quarter earnings in January. The study in diabetics follows a similar trial published last year in heart failure patients who were obese but not diabetic. The company submitted results from both trials to U.S. and European regulators in January.

— With assistance from Madison Muller