British private insurer Aviva will not pay for Novo's weight-loss drug Wegovy

British private insurer Aviva has said it will not pay for treatment with Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy, which launched in the UK on Monday.

Aviva, which has 1.1 million UK customers with private medical insurance, told Reuters: "Treatment with semaglutide, for diabetes or weight loss, is not a benefit under our policies."

Semaglutide is the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Wegovy and in Novo's drug Ozempic, which is approved in the country for treatment of type 2 diabetes.