Peptide News Digest

#REDEFINE 1

3 stories

REDEFINE 1 is Novo Nordisk's Phase 3 obesity trial for CagriSema, the once-weekly fixed-dose combination of cagrilintide 2.4 mg (amylin analog) and semaglutide 2.4 mg (GLP-1 agonist). The trial reported a 22.7% mean weight reduction at week 68 — short of the 25% internal target that drove a Novo stock pullback in early 2025 — but solidly within the clinical-meaningfulness range and ahead of Wegovy 2.4 mg monotherapy.

The May 12, 2026 ECO 2026 presentations expanded the picture: the prespecified body-composition substudy showed a 35.7% relative reduction in fat mass and 14.4% in lean tissue at week 68 (favorable 2.5:1 ratio versus 1.5-2:1 for GLP-1 monotherapy); the BMI + waist-to-height ratio target-achievement analysis showed 50.7% of CagriSema-treated participants reached BMI <30 vs 10.2% on placebo, with cardiometabolic normalization rates higher in target-achievers. A REDEFINE 1 predicted atherosclerotic CVD risk analysis was scheduled for May 14 ECO presentation.

Stories here cover the body-composition, BMI-target, and cardiovascular sub-analyses, plus the NDA filing trajectory. See #cagrisema, #cagrilintide, and #novo-nordisk.

Clinical Trials · View digest

CagriSema REDEFINE 1 BMI + Waist-to-Height Ratio Treatment Targets at ECO 2026 (May 12): 50.7% of Treated Patients Reach BMI <30 vs 10.2% Placebo

Novo Nordisk's CagriSema REDEFINE 1 treatment-target analysis presented as an oral presentation at ECO 2026 on May 12 reported that the cagrilintide + semaglutide combination drove a higher percentage of participants to clinically meaningful BMI and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) targets than any monotherapy or placebo arm. 50.7% of CagriSema-treated participants reached BMI <30 at week 68 vs 10.2% on placebo, and participants reaching BMI <27 plus WHtR <0.53 showed normalization of cardiometabolic parameters at higher rates than non-achievers. A companion REDEFINE 1 cardiovascular risk analysis scheduled for May 14 ECO presentation tracks predicted atherosclerotic CVD risk reduction. The data complements the May 12 body-composition substudy (35.7% fat-mass loss vs 14.4% lean tissue loss).

Clinical Trials · View digest

CagriSema REDEFINE 1 Body Composition Substudy at ECO 2026: 35.7% Fat Mass Loss vs 14.4% Lean Tissue Loss in 252 Patients

A prespecified body-composition substudy of REDEFINE 1 presented at ECO 2026 reported that 252 participants on CagriSema 2.4 mg/2.4 mg (semaglutide + cagrilintide) achieved a 35.7% relative reduction in fat mass and a 14.4% reduction in lean soft-tissue mass at week 68 — compared with 5.7% and 4.3% on placebo. The headline 22.7% mean weight reduction in REDEFINE 1 (NEJM publication June 2025) thus broke down with a fat-mass-to-lean-tissue ratio of roughly 2.5:1, a more favorable body-composition profile than the typical 1.5-2:1 ratio reported for GLP-1 monotherapy. The data builds the case for combination amylin-GLP-1 therapy as preferentially fat-selective.

Industry · View digest

Novo Nordisk Previews 52 ECO 2026 Abstracts on CagriSema, Higher-Dose Wegovy, and Women's Obesity Data Ahead of Istanbul Congress

Novo Nordisk announced April 28 that it will present 52 abstracts at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026, Istanbul, May 12–15), including new data from the REDEFINE 1 trial of CagriSema (cagrilintide 2.4 mg/semaglutide 2.4 mg): body composition and muscle strength, achievement of BMI/waist-to-height ratio targets, and cardiovascular risk reduction. Additional presentations will cover higher-dose Wegovy (semaglutide 7.2 mg), the Wegovy pill (oral semaglutide 25 mg) from OASIS 4 and ORION trials, and obesity treatment outcomes in women. The disclosure sets up a significant amylin/GLP-1 combination data event exactly as Zealand and Roche's amylin-only petrelintide moves into Phase 3.