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Many pharmaceutical companies and laboratories have been working for months to replicate the success of drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound. These medications are based on compounds originally developed as treatments for diabetes (semaglutide and tirzepatide). However, they’ve also proven effective for weight loss.
Drugmakers responsible for these innovations have continued their efforts, too.
Next generation. Novo Nordisk is the Danish company behind Ozempic and its active compound, semaglutide. It recently announced new advancements in the clinical trials for CagriSema, a drug that combines semaglutide with another compound called cagrilintide.
Additionally, Novo Nordisk has reached an exclusive license agreement for a triple agonist associated with three different receptors. This marks another significant development in the creation of a new generation of drugs aimed at combating diabetes and supporting weight loss. However, the Danish maker isn’t the only company in this competitive field.
CagriSema. In November 2024, Novo Nordisk shared details about CagriSema. The drug is based on cagrilintide, a compound mimicking amylin (and calcitonin), similar to how semaglutide mimics glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1).
REDEFINE 2. In its latest update, Novo Nordisk shared results from the REDEFINE 2 trials. This represents the third phase of clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of the new combination drug. The trial evaluated these factors over 68 weeks and involved more than 1,200 participants.
Results indicated that the average weight loss in the treatment group was 15.7%, significantly higher than the 3.1% weight loss experienced by the placebo group.
The detailed results of the REDEFINE clinical program (REDEFINE 1 and REDEFINE 2) will be presented later this year. The company aims to secure regulatory approval for these treatments by the first quarter of 2026.
Triple agonist. On Monday, the Danish pharmaceutical company announced an exclusive licensing agreement for a new compound temporarily referred to as UBT251.
Until now, only dual agonist drugs have been available on the market. One example is tripeptide, the co-formulated compound behind Zepbound and Mounjaro from U.S. drugmaker Eli Lilly. These drugs function as analogs of the hormones GLP-1 and gastric inhibitory polypeptide, not glucagon.
New agreement. Novo Nordisk has partnered with the Chinese laboratory United Biotechnology. Under this contract, United Biotechnology will retain the rights to develop, manufacture, and market the triple agonist drug in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk will handle these activities in the rest of the world.
Who will lead the race? Novo Nordisk pioneered the use of diabetes medications in weight loss treatments. However, it may not lead the race for the triple agonist drug with its new generation of medications. For its part, Eli Lilly is making significant progress with Retatrutide, which is currently in phase 3 clinical trials.
Image | i yunmai
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