HQ Team
December 21, 2024: Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk’s combination drug achieved a 22.7% weight-loss reduction compared to a dummy drug during end-stage trials, according to a statement.
The trial on 3,417 obese people, investigating the efficacy and safety of CagriSema — a combination of cagrilintide and semaglutide — involved dosing the patients with comorbidities and a mean body weight of 106.9 kilograms, once weekly with 2.4 mg of both the molecules.
The second arm was injected subcutaneously with individual components and a placebo drug during the trial period.
CagriSema combines semaglutide — the active ingredient in Wegovy that mimics the gut hormone GLP-1— with a molecule called cagrilintide, which mimics the pancreatic hormone amylin.
“The trial achieved its primary endpoint by demonstrating a statistically significant and superior weight loss at week 68 with CagriSema versus placebo,” according to the statement.
Gastrointestinal events
“When evaluating the effects of treatment if all people adhered to treatment1, people treated with CagriSema achieved a superior weight loss of 22.7% after 68 weeks compared to a reduction of 11.8% with cagrilintide 2.4 mg, 16.1% with semaglutide 2.4 mg and 2.3% with placebo alone.”
CagriSema, cagrilintide 2.4 mg and semaglutide 2.4 mg “appeared to have a safe and well-tolerated profile.”
“The most common adverse events with CagriSema were gastrointestinal; the vast majority were mild to moderate and diminished over time, consistent with the GLP-1 receptor agonist class,” according to the statement.
“We are encouraged by the weight loss profile of CagriSema demonstrating superiority over both semaglutide and cagrilintide in monotherapy,” in the trial, said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for Development at Novo Nordisk.
“This was achieved even though only 57% of patients reached the highest CagriSema dose,”. “With the insights obtained from the trial, we plan to explore the additional weight loss potential of CagriSema,” he said.
Shares fall
After the announcement on December 20, shares of the company fell as much as 26% as analysts expected a 25% reduction in weight during the trial. Novo’s competitors in the fiercely competitive obesity market include Eli Lilly.
The results from the second pivotal phase 3 trial, in adults with type 2 diabetes and either obesity or overweight, are expected during the first half of 2025. The global obesity market is forecast to be worth $100 billion by Goldman Sachs.
In May, Novo Nordisk, Europe’s most valuable company, raised its 2024 revenue outlook on the back of its popular weight-loss drug Wegovy, as it announced its January to March operating profit rose 27% to Danish kroner 31.8 billion.
