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Recently, a new wave of weight loss medications has swept the globe, with drugs like Ozempic becoming widely recognised for their sought-after slimming effects. Leading global healthcare company Novo Nordisk, who is a top contender for the industry's first $1trn valuation after the launch of its groundbreaking diabetes drug Ozempic in 2017, is set to introduce a promising new weight-loss treatment called CagriSema.

Now, Novo Nordisk is advancing its efforts with the development of a next-generation treatment for obesity and diabetes. Semaglutide, the key ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that mimics a gut hormone to boost insulin, regulate blood sugar, slow digestion and enhance feelings of fullness. Currently undergoing late-stage clinical trials for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes, CagriSema combines semaglutide with a dual amylin and calcitonin receptor agonist called cagrilintide.

An early-stage trial of CagriSema showed patients losing an average of 15.6% of their body weight in just 32 weeks – outpacing the 15% weight loss achieved by Wegovy’s highest dose over 68 weeks.

Novo Nordisk ’s executive vice president of Development, Martin Holst Lange, expressed confidence that larger trials could reveal weight loss of up to 25%, citing data from previous studies, including stand-alone trials of cagrilintide, to support this projection.

It is estimated that CagriSema could hit the market by late 2025 or early 2026, pending the outcome of Novo Nordisk ’s phase 3 trials, expected later this year and in early 2025. To meet anticipated demands for the new drug, Novo Nordisk is investing heavily in manufacturing capacity, addressing current supply challenges, with hopes to launch its new drug in the US and Europe as soon as possible. Novo Nordisk is a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Denmark.