Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy has been on a winning streak as of late, with a metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis approval last month and prime position in the oral obesity race.
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy more than halved the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events in people with overweight or obesity compared with Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, continuing a recent winning streak for the blockbuster weight loss drug.
Data from the real-world STEER study, presented Friday at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress, showed that Wegovy treatment resulted in a 57% lower likelihood of heart attack and stroke, as well as cardiovascular death and death from any cause, versus tirzepatide. STEER directly compared the two obesity drugs in patients with overweight or obesity who had established cardiovascular disease but not diabetes.
When considering all patients on STEER, regardless of gaps in their treatment, Wegovy maintained a 29% advantage over tirzepatide in terms of risk reduction in heart attack, stroke and death from any cause.
According to Anna Windle, senior vice president of Clinical Development, Medical and Regulatory Affairs at Novo, these results suggest that Wegovy stands apart from other therapies in its class. “The same CV benefit cannot be generalized across other molecules in the GLP-1 or GIP/GLP-1 classes and may come specifically from the semaglutide molecule,” she said in a prepared statement on Friday.
Wegovy was approved in March 2024 for the reduction of cardiovascular risk in people with overweight or obesity who have known heart disease. Tirzepatide, which Lilly markets as Zepbound for chronic weight management and Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes, has no such indication.
The new findings come as the obesity arena heats up anew with the recent influx of data from oral formulations. Lilly’s orforglipron, which, according to some analysts, is the de facto leader in this space, has left investors wanting, leaving the door open for competitors. Novo, which has an oral formulation of Wegovy currently under FDA review, with a verdict due by the end of the year, appears to have edged into pole position in this race.
Earlier this month, Novo earned another win when the FDA signed off on the use of Wegovy in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis—an indication tirzepatide has yet to break into.
These recent wins could help Novo rebuild investor confidence amid a rocky year that has seen its shares plummet 43% to date. Much of the company’s business troubles stem from compounders, which have eaten into the sales of both Wegovy and its sister brand Ozempic. Commercial execution, however, has also been questioned, leading Novo’s board to kick out former CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen and replace him with Maziar Mike Doustdar, former executive vice president for internal operations.
Novo slashed its full-year guidance in July by 5%.
