Posthoc analyses in women divided by menopausal status show how Novo’s next-generation GLP-1 drug affects key cohorts of patients.
Novo has reported 25% weight loss in women taking CagriSema, largely replicating data on Eli Lilly’s rival drug in post hoc analyses that subdivided patients by menopausal status.
Multiple studies have found that women lose more weight than men on GLP-1 receptor agonists. Novo’s post hoc analysis of REDEFINE 1, a Phase 3 trial in adults with obesity or overweight, added to the evidence. Having reported 22.7% weight loss after 68 weeks in the overall population, Novo this week revealed that women in the trial who took the injectable medicine lost 25% of their body weight over the same period.
Novo shared the analysis at The Menopause Society 2026 Annual Meeting in San Diego. The analysis, which included 2,309 women, assumed all patients adhered to treatment. Participants on placebo lost 3% of their body weight.
The Danish drugmaker presented a second analysis of 1,902 women based on their stage of menopause, which is associated with obesity. Average weight loss was highest in premenopausal women, who shed 26.7% of their body weight by week 68. Average weight loss in peri- and postmenopausal women was 24.8% and 23.1%, respectively. Weight loss on placebo in the three subgroups ranged from 1.7% to 2.6%.
Novo’s findings echo data on tirzepatide, the GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist that Lilly sells as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss. In 2024, Lilly reported that women enrolled in its SURMOUNT clinical trials lost up to 24.6% of their body weight, compared to up to 18.1% for their male counterparts.
A subsequent analysis looked at weight loss by menopausal stage in two of the SURMOUNT trials. At week 72 of SURMOUNT-3, Lilly reported weight loss in pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women of 25.5%, 24.4% and 21.5%, respectively. Lilly saw weight loss of 29.4% in pre- and perimenopausal women in SURMOUNT-4, although that was a week 88 analysis. Weight loss typically increases over time.
In June, Lilly shared week 72 data on Foundayo, its oral GLP-1 drug, in peri- and postmenopausal women. Weight loss was lower on Foundayo than on CagriSema, peaking at 14.4% in perimenopausal women. The finding is in line with results showing that oral GLP-1s deliver lower weight loss than injectables in general.
Lilly’s retatrutide could be CagriSema’s most direct competitor, with both drug candidates nearing FDA approval and achieving deeper weight loss than existing GLP-1 receptor agonists in clinical trials. Lilly has yet to share analyses of retatrutide’s effects by menopausal stage.
