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High-Dose Semaglutide Data A Mixed Bag For Novo Nordisk

 
• By Joseph Haas

Semaglutide 7.2mg bests placebo for weight loss at 72 weeks, but with efficacy lower than seen with Novo Nordisk’s CagriSema or Lilly’s Zepbound.

Female hands holding an insulin pen. Ozempic Insulin injection pen or insulin cartridge pen for diabetics
High-dose semaglutide meets endpoint in Phase III, but doesn't beat Zepbound, CagriSema (Shutterstock)

Novo Nordisk reported a successful Phase IIIb result for high-dose semaglutide in obese adults on 17 January, but analysts pointed out that while the data topped the weight loss demonstrated by the drug’s marketed 2.4mg dose of Wegovy, it fell short of the efficacy produced by Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide) at the same time point in a Phase III study.

Key Takeaways
  • Novo Nordisk demonstrated that 7.2mg weekly of semaglutide, three times the highest dose approved for Wegovy, produced average weight loss of 20.7% at 72 weeks.

In the 1,407-patient STEP UP study, semaglutide 7.2mg weekly injection yielded a 20.7% weight loss from baseline at 72 weeks, which Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger noted was not superior...

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