Novo Nordisk's CagriSema outperforms Wegovy in late-stage diabetes trial

Novo Nordisk said CagriSema produced about 14.2% body weight loss and a 1.91 percentage-point fall in HbA1c after 68 weeks, compared with 10.2% weight loss and a 1.76 percentage-point HbA1c fall with Wegovy in a late-stage trial of 2,728 people with type 2 diabetes.

Novo Nordisk reported that its experimental weight-loss drug CagriSema reduced body weight and long-term blood sugar measures more than Wegovy in a late-stage trial of people with type 2 diabetes. CagriSema is given as a weekly injection combining cagrilintide and semaglutide. The article notes Novo had positioned CagriSema as a successor to Wegovy and a rival to Eli Lilly's Zepbound. Earlier studies showed weaker-than-expected weight loss and prompted the company to run a new late-stage trial that began in June. Key trial results: - The trial included 2,728 people with type 2 diabetes who were on other standard treatments and were randomly assigned to CagriSema, cagrilintide, semaglutide, or placebo. - Novo said the highest dose of CagriSema led to about 14.2% body weight loss after 68 weeks, compared with 10.2% for those who received Wegovy, assuming full adherence to treatment. - HbA1c fell by 1.91 percentage points with the combination of 2.4 mg cagrilintide and 2.4 mg semaglutide, versus a 1.76 percentage-point fall with 2.4 mg semaglutide alone, according to Novo. Summary: The company reported that CagriSema outperformed semaglutide alone on both weight loss and HbA1c in this trial. The article notes that earlier, weaker results led Novo to run this new late-stage study. Regulatory or publication steps were not specified and are undetermined at this time.