:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-2197227432-6dabff12e088403c8032fbae8a53811d.jpg "Novo Nordisk Stock Rises on Trial Results for Cagrilintide Obesity Treatment")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/GettyImages-2197227432-6dabff12e088403c8032fbae8a53811d.jpg)
Key Takeaways
- Novo Nordisk said research on an experimental weight-loss drug that works differently than current ones produced positive results.
- Data showed those who took cagrilintide lost an average of 27.6 pounds over 68 weeks in the Phase 3 trial.
- Novo Nordisk will take the drug into a dedicated Phase 3 clinical program later this year.
U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk (NVO) gained after the drugmaker reported positive results from a late-stage study of a weight-loss drug that works differently than traditional GLP-1 inhibitors.
The company said the Phase 3 trial of cagrilintide found patients taking it over 68 weeks had an average weight loss of 12.5 kilograms (27.6 pounds), or 11.8% body weight reduction, compared to 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) or 2.3% body weight reduction with placebo.
Cagrilintide is being studied as a weekly subcutaneous injectable treatment for adults who are overweight or obese and not diabetic. Novo Nordisk has been looking at alternative weight-loss treatments as its current drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, have been losing market share to rivals’ alternatives.
The data provided was a sub-analysis of cagrilintide, and Novo Nordisk explained that because of the outcome, it would be moving the medicine into a dedicated Phase 3 clinical program later this year.
Despite today’s 2% gain in morning trading, U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk remain down more than 30% year-to-date.
