Novo Nordisk Pursues Breakthrough with Next-Gen Obesity Drug CagriSema

Novo Nordisk's new obesity drug, CagriSema, aims to improve upon past results via dose escalation and extended trials, crucial to its competition with rival Eli Lilly. Despite December's disappointing data, Novo Nordisk remains confident in the drug's potential, emphasizing its effectiveness and addressing concerns about patient reach of higher doses.

On Wednesday, Novo Nordisk announced its latest efforts to optimize its experimental obesity drug, CagriSema, by focusing on dose escalation and trial duration. This follows December's data release that failed to meet market expectations, causing a significant drop in the company's share value.

Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk, expressed optimism about the drug's inherent biological value, highlighting the company's commitment to exploring its full potential despite previous trial setbacks. The December trial results showed that only 57.3% of patients achieved the highest dose, creating market concerns about potential side effects or adequate weight management at lower doses.

CagriSema is pivotal for Novo Nordisk's strategy to surpass Eli Lilly's Zepbound in the obesity drug market. Jorgensen assured stakeholders that the concerns related to side effects are unfounded, as significant weight loss is noted among many patients, aligning with their desired BMI targets.

(With inputs from agencies.)