HQ Team
September 21, 2026: Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s investigational drug, CagriSema, has achieved an estimated average weight loss of 12.4% in diabetic patients during an end-stage trial, better than rival Eli Lilly’s drug.
“CagriSema 1.0 mg/1.0 mg achieved superior weight loss of 12.4% versus tirzepatide 5 mg of 9.1% and non-inferior HbA1c reduction at week 60 in adults with type 2 diabetes,” in the trial named REIMAGINE 5, according to a company statement.
The results were revealed at Novo’s Capital Markets Day investor briefing on September 21. “CagriSema also confirmed a non-inferior reduction in HbA1c (1.71%) versus tirzepatide (1.67%).”
Novo’s blockbuster weight-loss drug, Wegovy, faces patent expiries after 2030. The “next-generation” CagriSema is a once-weekly liquid medicine injected under the skin.
Fixed-dose combination
It is a fixed-dose combination — a mix of Cagrilintide, a molecule that acts like a natural hormone in your body called amylin. It signals the brain to feel physically full, so you naturally feel like stopping when you eat.
The other medicine in the combination is semaglutide, a molecule that acts like a hormone called GLP-1. It helps control blood sugar and curbs intense food cravings.
By combining both medicines into one shot, they trigger two different pathways in the brain at the same time, making people feel full faster and stay full longer so they can manage their weight and health more effectively.
“The results from CagriSema are very encouraging, demonstrating the strong potency of the combination of semaglutide and cagrilintide. With only 1.0 mg/1.0 mg, CagriSema shows superior weight loss versus tirzepatide 5 mg as well as strong results across obesity and type 2 diabetes,” said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president, Research & Development and chief scientific officer at Novo.
‘Strengthen our confidence’
“CagriSema remains investigational, but these findings strengthen our confidence in its potential, add to the growing evidence for amylin biology and reinforce our ambition to advance the next generation of treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes,” he said.
Treatment decisions in obesity and type 2 diabetes are often individualised, and not all patients receive or remain on the highest available dose of current therapies.
“These data provide important evidence of the potential of CagriSema 1.0 mg/1.0 mg, and expand our understanding of how efficacy, tolerability and dose flexibility may support individualised care,” according to the statement.
During Capital Markets Day, Novo also presented data on painful diabetic neuropathy in type 2 diabetes for the first time, showing “promising results.”
Novo Nordisk filed a New Drug Application with the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2025 for CagriSema for weight management. A decision is expected in the fourth quarter of this year.
