Novo Nordisk's CagriSema Tops Eli Lilly's Tirzepatide in Diabetes Weight-Loss Trial

Novo Nordisk said on September 21, 2026, that its experimental drug CagriSema produced an estimated average weight loss of 12.4% in a late-stage trial of diabetes patients, beating Eli Lilly's tirzepatide, which delivered 9.1%. The 1 mg dose of CagriSema proved superior to tirzepatide at 5 mg for weight loss, Novo said. The drug also showed non-inferior blood sugar reduction versus Lilly's therapy. CagriSema is a weekly injection combining cagrilintide, which mimics the pancreatic hormone amylin, and semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy. Novo positions it as a successor to Wegovy, which faces patent expiries after 2030. The result marks a rebound for the Danish drugmaker after CagriSema fell short of Lilly's Zepbound on weight loss in an earlier head-to-head trial this year.