Novo Nordisk’s CEO has insisted that plans to launch the GLP-1/amylin combo treatment CagriSema remain on track, despite the pharma ending hopes of delivering the therapy in a single-chamber device.
The Danish drugmaker submitted CagriSema—which combines Wegovy’s ingredient semaglutide with the experimental amylin receptor agonist cagrilintide—to the FDA last December. The fixed-dose injectable treatment is set to be delivered in a dual-chamber system.
Novo had also been working on a co-formulation version that could have potentially allowed for CagriSema to be administered in a single-chamber device. However, the company revealed in its first-quarter earnings documents (PDF) Wednesday that it has terminated this co-formulation project “due to portfolio considerations.”
Novo CEO Maziar Mike Doustdar explained to Fierce this morning that this decision doesn’t impact the broader strategy for CagriSema.
“We are incredibly excited about the upcoming launch of CagriSema, and we believe that we will be able to have the global launches as we intend to, without the co-formulation [being] needed,” he told Fierce Biotech on a May 6 call with journalists. “So there is no change in plan.”
Novo is anticipating U.S. approval of CagriSema in the fourth quarter of the year followed by a launch early in 2027. Doustdar also highlighted to Fierce that the company has made progress with zenagamtide—the new name for the dual GLP-1 and amylin agonist amycretin. The company has now launched various phase 3 studies of zenagamtide for obesity and related conditions like sleep apnea and knee osteoarthritis.
The pharma expects to launch zenagamtide “soon after” CagriSema, Doustdar said.
“So with the combination of CagriSema in a dual chamber pen that we have discussed before, as well as, of course, the unimolecule zenagamtide … we feel like we are very well covered for the upcoming few years’ launches,” the CEO told Fierce on the call.
Novo may be keeping the faith in CagriSema, but investors’ hopes have been dimmed after some disappointing phase 3 readouts in recent months. Not only did the therapy fail to deliver the 25% weight loss observers had been waiting for, but CagriSema was also unable to beat Eli Lilly’s obesity blockbuster Zepbound in a head-to-head study.
Doustdar is still hoping that CagriSema can find its own niche in an obesity space that is set to rapidly fill up with rival products.
“Amylin biology is something very interesting,” the CEO said on the call. “We see most of our competitors also getting excited about that, but we are very happy that despite [the] very crowded space, we’re going to be—once again—first to launch an amylin in combinations with a GLP-1,” he said.
