It was only a matter of time until the GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy were superseded, and now it looks like we'll have the next generation of these breakthrough weight loss and diabetes medicines on shelves by early next year.
Less than five years on from when Novo Nordisk's semaglutide drug received FDA approval for weight loss (Wegovy), the Danish pharmaceutical company has announced it will seek regulatory approval in the first quarter of 2026 for CagriSema. This drug is again a once-a-week injection that combines the long-acting amylin analogue, cagrilintide, with semaglutide. It works in a similar way to just semaglutide, but may offer better glycemic control and higher weight-loss outcomes.
While it didn't reach the lofty weight-loss goals of its earlier trials, in Phase III it nonetheless saw participants shed an average of 15.7% of their bodyweight over 68 weeks, compared to 3.1% in the placebo group. It may not have met the high bar that Novo Nordisk earlier predicted, but it still achieved its primary endpoint.
CagriSema has had parallel studies completed, setting it up to be available for both diabetes and obesity treatment.
What's more, the Danish giant has just announced a US$2-billion deal with Chinese pharmaceutical company United Biotechnology, to license it's novel weight-loss and diabetes drug UBT251 to the rest of the world. United will keep the rights to market the medication in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as get additional royalties from sales around the globe.
UBT251 is a triple agonist – known colloquially as a "triple-G" medication – which targets glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors. And it has been largely considered to be the next generation in obesity and diabetes drugs. In a small Phase II trial in China, the drug triggered an average 15.1% weight loss over 12 weeks. Novo Nordisk now hopes to conduct a global Phase I/II trial to fast-track the drug to the global market.
And there's one big reason the company wants to get this through testing quickly – rival Eli Lilly has finished its Phase III trials on its own "triple-G" drug, retatrutide, for both diabetes and obesity, and the findings are due out soon. If it lives up to the hype – and earlier studies – of delivering far superior weight loss compared to Lilly's Mounjaro, the company is likely to pull even further ahead of Novo Nordisk in the race to corner the obesity-drug market.
Meanwhile, in China, regulators have approved UB251 to be trialed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease and chronic kidney disease.
“The addition of a candidate targeting glucagon, as well as GLP-1 and GIP, will add important optionality to our clinical pipeline, as we look to develop a broad portfolio of differentiated treatment options that cater to the diverse needs of people living with these highly prevalent diseases,” said Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for development at Novo Nordisk. “We look forward to building on United Biotechnology’s scientific work and further exploring the potential best-in-class properties of UBT251 across cardiometabolic disease indications.”
In the deal, United Biotechnology is expected to get an upfront payment of $200 million, and "potential milestone payments" of up to $1.8 billion, as well as tiered royalties.
And, perhaps in an effort to curb the prevalence of compounded semaglutide in the US, Novo Nordisk has also launched the online pharmacy NovoCare, which allows Stateside residents without insurance to buy Wegovy for $499 a month and have it shipped to their home. Of course, conditions apply here.
Source: Novo Nordisk
