Novo Nordisk Says New Obesity Drug Outperformed Lilly's Zepbound in Phase 3 Trial

By Elias Schisgall

Novo Nordisk said a weight-management and type 2 diabetes drug led to greater weight loss than Eli Lilly's Zepbound in a phase 3 trial.

The Danish drugmaker said that CagriSema, a combination of cagrilintide and semaglutide at 1 milligram doses each, achieved 12.4% weight loss in patients with type 2 diabetes at 60 weeks. That compares with 9.1% weight loss for patients taking a 5mg dose of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Zepbound.

In a separate phase 3 trial, the drug also delivered 21% weight loss in adults who are overweight or obese at week 68 compared with a placebo, Novo Nordisk said.

"The results from CagriSema are very encouraging, demonstrating the strong potency of the combination of semaglutide and cagrilintide," said Chief Scientific Officer Martin Holst Lange. "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."

The findings, shared at an investor event in London, are important for Novo Nordisk, which has lost ground to Eli Lilly in the exploding market for weight-loss drugs. Novo said earlier at the event that it plans to launch several blockbuster drugs and expand into new treatment areas over the next few years as part of a plan to revive growth.

The company is targeting sales of more than 150 billion Danish kroner ($23.05 billion) in pipeline drug sales in 2035.

Write to Elias Schisgall at elias.schisgall@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 21, 2026 11:07 ET (15:07 GMT)