Novo Nordisk is not resting on its laurels. Its blockbuster weight loss drug semaglutide (sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy) is expected to become the world’s top-selling drug franchise next year and may reach a $130 billion market in the next five years, according to Bloomberg. Now, Novo has developed a new medication that offers even more dramatic weight loss. Experts predict the new weight-loss drug in the pipeline will be even more successful.
Called CagriSema, Novo’s drug combines semaglutide and cagrilintide, both GLP-1 drugs. In clinical trials, CagriSema helped patients lose 15.6% of their body weight over 32 weeks, compared to a 5.1% reduction of Wegovy alone and an 8.1% reduction of cagrilintide alone.
According to BioSpace, CagriSema is currently going head-to-head with Eli Lilly & Co.’s drug Zepbound in a Phase III trial targeting 800 people which is slated to be completed by August 2025.
Rival pharmaceutical company Lilly ’s weight loss drugs, Zepbound and Mounjaro, contain tirzepatide. All of the medications currently being used for weight loss work the same way. They slow down the movement of food through the stomach and curb appetite, which can lead to weight loss, according to NPR.
The drugs mimic the GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, hormone in our bodies. When we eat, GLP-1 is released from our intestines and sends signals to our brain centers that control appetite. So far, the drugs have been hugely successful, despite some side effects, such as such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.