Novo Nordisk's next-generation obesity drug CagriSema has delivered greater weight loss than a lower dose of Eli Lilly's tirzepatide in a new late-stage trial. The trial has given giving the Danish drugmaker new evidence for its upcoming weight loss injectable as it competes in the rapidly expanding GLP-1 obesity drug market. In the Phase 3 REIMAGINE 5 trial, adults with type 2 diabetes receiving CagriSema lost an estimated 12.4% of their body weight after 60 weeks, compared with 9.1% among those receiving 5 mg of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound. CagriSema also resulted reduction in HbA1c, a measure of average blood sugar. However, the trial compared 1 mg/1 mg CagriSema to 5 mg tirzepatide, rather than the highest doses used in obesity treatment. Earlier this year, a separate Phase 3 trial in people with obesity found that CagriSema did not meet its goal against high-dose 15 mg tirzepatide. At 84 weeks, CagriSema resulted in 23% weight loss compared to 25.5% with tirzepatide. What Is CagriSema? CagriSema is a once-weekly injection that combines two active ingredients: semaglutide and cagrilintide. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo's Wegovy and Ozempic. It belongs to the GLP-1 receptor agonist class and helps reduce appetite and food intake. Cagrilintide mimics amylin, a hormone involved in appetite regulation and feelings of fullness. By combining the two medicines, Novo is attempting to produce greater weight loss results. Unlike Wegovy and Ozempic, however, CagriSema is still investigational. Novo submitted it to the US FDA for weight management in December 2025. The regulatory decision is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.Also read: Hundreds Of American GLP-1 Users Sue Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly Over Vision Loss: What Is NAION?What Did The New Trial Find? REIMAGINE 5 is based on adults with type 2 diabetes whose blood sugar was not controlled properly with metformin, an SGLT2 inhibitor or both. After 60 weeks, CagriSema showed 12.4% average weight loss. Tirzepatide 5 mg resulted in 9.1% average weight loss. CagriSema showed 1.71% HbA1c reduction while tirzepatide resulted in 1.67%. Novo said the combination was generally well tolerated. Gastrointestinal side effects are among the common adverse effects that were seen with the treatment. Novo's chief scientific officer Martin Holst Lange called the findings “very encouraging” and said they strengthen the company's confidence in CagriSema's potential.Also read: Blood Test That Could Detect 50+ Cancers Closer To Approval As FDA Raises No Major Concerns About Its AccuracyIs CagriSema Better Than Mounjaro Or Zepbound? The new study establishes that CagriSema outperformed 5 mg tirzepatide for weight loss in this particular population sample with type 2 diabetes. But tirzepatide is available at substantially higher doses, and the earlier obesity head-to-head trial compared CagriSema with 15 mg tirzepatide, where tirzepatide produced better weight loss results. Therefore, the company has not declared that CagriSema consistently produces more weight loss than tirzepatide across all trials. CagriSema is Novo's attempt to move beyond single-pathway GLP-1 treatment by combining GLP-1 and amylin biology. In another new Phase 3 trial, REDEFINE 9, CagriSema produced 21% weight loss after 68 weeks, compared with 2% with placebo, in adults with overweight or obesity.