Novo's cagrisema beats lower-dose tirzepatide in diabetes trial, but shares fall 7.4%
The result, announced at Novo's Capital Markets Day, reverses a head-to-head loss to Eli Lilly's drug earlier this year
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Novo Nordisk's experimental drug cagrisema produced greater weight loss than Eli Lilly's tirzepatide in a late-stage trial called Reimagine 5, the company said. Patients on cagrisema's 1.0mg/1.0mg dose lost 12.4% of their body weight, against 9.1% for those on a 5mg dose of tirzepatide, according to Novo Nordisk. The two drugs showed similar reductions in blood sugar levels at 60 weeks.
The trial enrolled adults with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar was not adequately controlled by metformin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, or both, according to Healio. Novo announced the results at its Capital Markets Day on Monday.
It is not the first time the two drugs have been compared directly. In an earlier trial called Redefine 4, announced in February, cagrisema at a higher 2.4mg/2.4mg dose failed to match tirzepatide's stronger 15mg dose, producing 23% weight loss against 25.5% for tirzepatide, according to HCPLive. Reimagine 5 used a lower dose of tirzepatide, AllSci reported. Novo has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to approve cagrisema for weight management, with a decision expected in the fourth quarter of this year.
Despite the trial win, Novo Nordisk shares are down 7.4% in Wednesday trading. Novo has been losing ground to Eli Lilly in the market for GLP-1 weight-loss and diabetes drugs; Lilly already accounts for 70% of seniors starting these treatments. A clinical win could help Novo claw back share, but the size of today's drop suggests investors are either doubtful it will translate into sales, or are more focused on other pressures facing the stock, including rising bond yields.