Novo Nordisk said on Monday its experimental next-generation drug CagriSema helped overweight or obese patients with Type 2 diabetes cut their weight by 15.7% after 68 weeks.

The data is seen as crucial for the future potential for its experimental next-generation obesity drug, after results published in December from another trial with the drug in people without diabetes showed lower-than-expected weight loss.

The new data released on Monday from the phase III trial called REDEFINE 2 was based on about 1,200 people with Type 2 diabetes and a body mass index (BMI) of or above 27 after 68 weeks.

The REDEFINE 2 trial was based on a flexible protocol, allowing patients to modify their dosing throughout the trial, Novo Nordisk said in a statement.

After 68 weeks, 61.9% of patients treated with CagriSema were on the highest dose, it added.

If all people adhered to treatment with CagriSema, patients overall achieved weight loss of 15.7% after 68 weeks, compared to 31.1% with placebo.

CagriSema is a weekly injection that combines semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in Wegovy and mimics the gut hormone GLP-1, and a separate molecule called cagrilintide that mimics the pancreatic hormone amylin, into a weekly injection.

The two hormones combined suppress hunger and help control patients' blood glucose.