Novo Nordisk's obesity shot trails Lilly rival

NOVO NORDISK'S NEXT-GENERATION obesity drug CagriSema underperformed Eli Lilly’s Zepbound in a head-to-head trial, the Danish drug-maker said on Monday, as it suffered a setback in its fight to regain leadership of the weight loss market.

- REUTERS

Few analysts had predicted CagriSema would be found to be less effective than Lilly’s drug that sells as Zepbound in the US and Mounjaro in Europe.

Novo’s shares fell 15% to lows not seen since 2021.

The company positions CagriSema as a more potent successor to its current weight loss drug Wegovy that faces patent expiries after 2030.