What Novo Nordisk reported
On 21 September 2026 Novo Nordisk announced topline results from two Phase 3 trials of once-weekly CagriSema, a fixed-dose combination of the long-acting amylin receptor agonist cagrilintide and the long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide. The figures were presented at a company capital markets day and are reported by the sponsor. They have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
REDEFINE 9: 21.0% versus 2.0% at 68 weeks
REDEFINE 9 randomised adults living with overweight or obesity to CagriSema 1.0 mg/1.0 mg or placebo, alongside a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. At week 68 the CagriSema arm showed a mean weight reduction of 21.0%, against 2.0% for placebo. The co-primary endpoints were relative change in body weight and the proportion of participants achieving at least 5% weight reduction. Novo Nordisk describes the safety profile as consistent with previous studies.
REIMAGINE 5: a head-to-head result against tirzepatide
REIMAGINE 5 compared CagriSema 1.0 mg/1.0 mg with tirzepatide 5 mg in adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, or both. At week 60, mean weight loss was 12.4% with CagriSema versus 9.1% with tirzepatide - a superior result on weight - while the HbA1c reduction of 1.71 percentage points was non-inferior to tirzepatide's 1.67 points.
What these numbers do and do not show
Both readouts are topline and sponsor-reported. They are estimated treatment averages, not full result tables: adverse-event rates, discontinuations and the confidence intervals behind the word 'superior' will follow only in a peer-reviewed publication. The REIMAGINE 5 comparison is against tirzepatide 5 mg, not the higher doses licensed for weight management, so it does not establish an advantage across the tirzepatide dose range. As with every incretin-based medicine, the endpoints measure weight and glycaemic control, not a reduction in any clinical outcome such as cardiovascular events or mortality.
The UK position
CagriSema is an investigational product and is not licensed by the MHRA. In the UK, semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are prescription-only medicines authorised for defined indications; any use outside those indications is a clinical decision governed by the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. CagriSema is not a research-use-only compound sold to laboratories, and nothing here is consumption guidance. The relevant point for readers of this site is evidentiary: the amylin-GLP-1 combination class now has Phase 3 randomised data, and those data remain sponsor-reported until published.
Where it sits in the field
The result continues the migration of the incretin field from single agonists toward multi-receptor combinations. Amylin-receptor agonism adds a second appetite-suppressing mechanism to GLP-1 receptor activation; cagrilintide supplies that arm here. Peptide Data grades compounds on the strength of the human evidence and, consistent with that method, a topline press release does not by itself raise a grade - publication and independent scrutiny do.
This article is AI-researched and editorially reviewed. It is provided for research and educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Research peptides are not licensed for human consumption in the UK.