Shares of Novo Nordisk plunged 15% on Monday after the company announced that its next-generation obesity drug failed to meet a key trial objective against a rival treatment from Eli Lilly. <\/p>\n
Novo said its experimental drug CagriSema did not achieve its primary endpoint of demonstrating non-inferiority in weight loss compared with Lilly\u2019s tirzepatide after 84 weeks of treatment, News.Az<\/a> reports, citing CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tirzepatide is the active ingredient in Lilly\u2019s blockbuster medications Mounjaro and Zepbound, which have surpassed Novo\u2019s semaglutide-based treatments \u2014 Ozempic and Wegovy \u2014 in U.S. prescription volumes.<\/p>\n Novo\u2019s Copenhagen-listed shares were last down 15% at 256 Danish kroner, marking their lowest level since June 2021. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly\u2019s stock rose 3.5% in premarket trading.<\/p>\n According to the company, patients taking a 2.4 mg dose of CagriSema achieved an average weight loss of 23% after 84 weeks, compared with a 25.5% reduction among patients taking a 15 mg dose of tirzepatide.<\/p>\n Despite the setback, Novo<\/a> said it remains optimistic about CagriSema\u2019s potential. The drug combines semaglutide with cagrilintide, a pancreatic hormone that influences appetite. The company is conducting additional studies, including trials evaluating higher-dose combinations, to further assess the treatment\u2019s weight-loss efficacy.<\/p>\n