Novo Nordisk points to Cagrilintide’s commitment to search for next obesity drug
The logos of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk, maker of blockbuster diabetes and weight loss treatments Ozempic and Wegovy, are seen outside its building as the company presents its annual report at Novo Nordisk on February 5, 2025 in Bagsvaerd, Denmark.
Mads Claus Rasmussen | Afp | Getty Images
Novo Nordisk announced on Wednesday promising late-stage trial results for its new obesity drug cagrilinitide, as the Danish pharmaceutical giant looks for a next-generation alternative to its blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy.
Early analyzes of a Phase 3 REDEFINE 1 trial showed that once-weekly cagrilintide monotherapy injection helped patients reduce their weight by an average of 11.8% after 68 weeks, compared to 2.3% in placebo patients, the company said.
Cagrilintide is a new form of weight loss treatment that differs from existing GLP-1 preparations such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound. The long-acting amylin analogue, which mimics a hormone secreted along with insulin in the pancreas to increase satiety.
The drugmaker also noted the treatment’s improved tolerability profile, describing it as “well tolerated,” with the most common side effects being gastrointestinal in nature and predominantly “mild to moderate.”
Shares in Novo Nordisk rose 1.3% shortly after the results were released at 11:15 a.m. London time.
“In our clinical trials, cagrilintide resulted in significant weight loss compared to approved anti-obesity medications and appears to be well tolerated,” said Martin Holst Lange, Novo Nordisk’s chief scientific officer and executive vice president of research and development, in a statement.
“We are pleased that these data, the first Phase 3 data from a next-generation amylin therapy, are promising and we look forward to further studying the potential of cagrilintide in the dedicated Phase 3 RENEW program,” Lange added.
Novo Nordisk is looking for a next-generation obesity treatment after the runaway success of its obesity treatments Ozempic and Wegovy recently came under pressure from supply shortages and increasing competition from copycat drugmakers.
Drugmakers are also looking for alternative treatments for patients who find it difficult to take GLP-1 long-term. Roche and Zealand Pharma are also developing an amylin analogue for the treatment of obesity called petrelintide.
Previously, investors were disappointed by late trial results for CagriSema, a combination therapy that combines semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy, with cagrilintide.
However, Soren Lontoft, pharmaceutical equity analyst at Sydbank, told CNBC that the side effect profile is perhaps the most promising aspect of the new treatment.
“The side effect profile for cagrilintide is of greater interest than weight loss. A more favorable side effect profile (with a low discontinuation rate) than Wegovy and Zepbound is what I’m looking for,” Lontoft said via email Tuesday.
The results of the partial analysis study, presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Congress in Vienna, Austria, examined adult patients with obesity or overweight and a weight-related comorbidity without diabetes.
A dedicated phase 3 RENEW study, evaluating the drug’s effectiveness and safety in patients with obesity or overweight but no associated comorbidities, is scheduled to begin in late 2025.
