Experimental injection shows greater weight loss in diabetes trial

An experimental weekly injection helped adults with type 2 diabetes lose more weight than a comparison treatment at the doses tested, according to initial results announced by Novo Nordisk on 21 September.

In the late-stage REIMAGINE 5 trial, CagriSema produced an estimated average weight loss of 12.4% after 60 weeks, compared with 9.1% for tirzepatide. The trial tested a combination of 1 mg each of cagrilintide and semaglutide against 5 mg of tirzepatide.

Participants’ blood sugar was not adequately controlled by their existing medicines. CagriSema was also found no less effective than tirzepatide at reducing HbA1c, a measure of longer-term blood sugar levels.

A separate late-stage trial in adults with overweight or obesity found estimated average weight loss of 21% with the same CagriSema dose after 68 weeks, compared with 2% with placebo. Treatment was accompanied by a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity.

The findings do not establish that CagriSema is better at every dose or for every patient group. An earlier obesity trial favoured tirzepatide over higher-dose CagriSema. Novo reported that the treatment was generally well tolerated in both new trials, but these remain initial company-reported results.

CagriSema is still investigational. A US regulatory decision on its use for weight management is expected in the final quarter of 2026.