Lilly called ‘clear winner’ at ADA as Novo touts Wegovy, CagriSema data

Novo Nordisk Showcases Pipeline Depth and Wegovy Benefits at ADA

Novo Nordisk used the American Diabetes Association’s 86th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans to mount a broad defense of its obesity and diabetes franchise, presenting post-hoc analyses showing Wegovy reduced sleep apnea risk by 52% and asthma-related adverse outcomes by 42%, while unveiling new data from its next-generation combination therapy CagriSema. But analysts remained unconvinced, with RBC Capital Markets declaring Eli Lilly the “clear winner from ADA” as Lilly’s pipeline asset retatrutide delivered 28% body-weight reduction in its pivotal trial.prnewswire

Wegovy’s Expanding Evidence Base

At the ADA meeting, which ran June 5–8, Novo presented post-hoc analyses from its SELECT and STEP trial programs showing semaglutide’s potential benefits beyond weight loss. The data demonstrated a 52% reduction in obstructive sleep apnea risk and a 42% decrease in asthma-related adverse outcomes, along with blood pressure reductions in patients with uncontrolled hypertension — a systolic drop of roughly 5.5 mmHg. Semaglutide is not approved for any of these conditions, and Novo cautioned that “safety and efficacy for these conditions have not been established.”novonordisk

CagriSema and the REIMAGINE Program

Novo also spotlighted CagriSema, its fixed-dose combination of the amylin analogue cagrilintide and semaglutide, for which it filed an FDA application in December 2025. Phase 3 results from the REIMAGINE 1–3 trials, presented June 7, showed the drug achieved over 14% weight reduction and HbA1c reductions of up to 2.33 percentage points in adults with type 2 diabetes already using basal insulin. Martin Holst Lange, Novo’s chief scientific officer, called the results “promising” for “combining a novel amylin analog with the proven significant effects of semaglutide.”prnewswire

Competitive Pressure Persists

Despite the data deluge, Novo struggled to shift the narrative. RBC’s Trung Huynh wrote that Lilly is “widening its lead,” citing retatrutide’s 28% weight loss in the TRIUMPH-1 obesity trial — well ahead of CagriSema’s roughly 22% in the REDEFINE program. Pfizer’s berobenatide and Boehringer Ingelheim’s survodutide also entered the fray with competitive data. Novo’s stock has fallen sharply over the past year amid pricing pressure and intensifying competition, with the company warning in February of “unprecedented” price headwinds and projecting sales declines of 5% to 13% in 2026. The company did notch a commercial milestone, announcing that Wegovy pill prescriptions surpassed three million.prnewswire