CagriSema’s commercial prospects dim further after head-to-head miss

Novo Nordisk’s bid to slow Eli Lilly’s takeover of the obesity market stumbled again Monday after CagriSema fell short to Zepbound in a head-to-head Phase III trial. The result complicates Novo’s plan to launch CagriSema this year and pushes out its timeline for bringing a best-in-class therapy to the obesity market.

The Phase III REDEFINE 4 study pitted 2.4 mg CagriSema against 15 mg Zepbound tirzepatide, the market leader in obesity, in a head-to-head design intended to put Novo Nordisk A/S (CSE:NOVO-B; NYSE:NVO) in a strong position as it launches the amylin/GLP-1R agonist combination. The results may have done the opposite, handing Eli Lilly and Co. (NYSE:LLY) strong data to support the continued growth of Zepbound, with all expenses paid by Novo...