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3 min read<\/p>\n3 min read<\/p>\n
THESE DAYS, WHEN<\/strong> it comes to weight loss drugs<\/a>, you’ve got a veritable buffet of options. Stick with the classics like Ozempic and Mounjaro. Don\u2019t like needles? Try Wegovy’s new pill.<\/a> Pop online<\/a> anytime and get a compounded version of either. At the end of the day, whatever you choose is likely to work\u2014just ask our readers<\/a>!<\/p>\n So why, then, would anyone feel the need to introduce more? Why reinvent the wheel when all of our current options work? But that’s exactly what’s happening. CagriSema is the latest experimental GLP-1 variant to generate buzz\u2014and drama\u2014in the weight loss space. It works slightly differently than the other GLP-1s and is allegedly twice as powerful. (Extremely allegedly.) Novo Nordisk filed for FDA approval in December 2025.<\/p>\n What is CagriSema and How Does It Work?<\/p>\n CagriSema is a two-drug combo of semaglutide<\/a> (you’ve heard of this one, it’s the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic) and cagrilintide.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a combination of a GLP-1 agonist and an amylin agonist,\u201d explains Richard Siegel, MD<\/a>, co-director of the Diabetes and Lipid Center at Tufts Medical Center and endocrinologist at Tufts Medicine Weight & Wellness Center \u2013 Stoneham. The drug works by mimicking the natural hormone amylin involved in increasing the time it takes for food to leave the stomach. Amylin also helps to regulate blood sugar levels.<\/p>\n If CagriSema gets FDA approval, Siegel notes it would be the first long-acting amylin agonist on the market.<\/p>\n The keyword here is if.<\/p>\n The reason behind the growing hype around CagriSema is that it is supposed to produce better results than existing GLP-1s. Early research data<\/a> found CagriSema caused weight loss of about 21 percent of a person\u2019s body weight. By comparison, semaglutide is linked to a 13.7 percent<\/a> reduction. Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) is linked to a 20 percent reduction.<\/p>\n Sounds Good, So What’s the Problem?<\/p>\n A recent trial put CagriSema in a head-to-head challenge with Zepbound. Based on earlier data, there was a lot of expectation that CagriSema would come out on top. Except it didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n This REDEFINE 4 clinical trial<\/a> spent 84 weeks comparing the effectiveness of CagriSema versus tirzepatide (Zepbound) in 809 people with obesity. People who took a once-weekly injection of CagriSema lost around 20.2 percent of their body weight over the study period. However, those who took tirzepatide actually lost about 23.6 percent.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trial did not achieve its primary endpoint of demonstrating non-inferiority on weight loss for CagriSema compared to tirzepatide after 84 weeks,\u201d reads a Novo Nordisk press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n The doctors we talked to aren’t surprised. Tirzepatide regularly logs some of the best numbers among weight-loss medications. \u201cTirzepatide is a very potent medication,\u201d Siegel says. \u201c[CagriSema] was statistically worse, but still quite potent.\u201d<\/p>\n The results still showed meaningful weight loss by patients given CagriSema. The numbers are also still higher than Novo Nordisk’s previous GLP-1 drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic. It just didn\u2019t outperform Eli Lilly’s Zepbound in this case.<\/p>\n
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