You haven't finished getting used to the names yet ozempic e wegovy and here you will have to learn some new ones: CagriSema, UBT251, Retatrutide. Today they sound like random codes, but they are the next frontier in the fight against obesity and diabetes, diseases that continue to claim victims throughout the Western world. The slimming drugs based on semaglutide are still radically transforming the approach to weight loss, with results that until a few years ago seemed unattainable without bariatric surgery, but the pharmaceutical industry does not stop.
As in a well-orchestrated relay race, the baton is about to pass to a new generation of compounds that promise to be even more effective, with weight losses that could exceed 15% in less than a year. What is it? Let's see together.
The new frontier of slimming drugs
Less than five years after the approval of the Semaglutide for weight loss by the FDA American, the Danish company Novo Nordisk announced that it will seek authorization in the first quarter of 2026 for CagriSema. It is a weekly injection that combines the cagrilintide (a long-acting amylin analogue) with semaglutide, promising better glycemic control and more significant weight loss results.
The numbers speak clearly: in the tests (already in Phase III), the participants they lost an average of 15,7% of their body weight over 68 weeks, compared to a paltry 3,1% in the placebo group. These aren’t the stellar results the company had anticipated in the early stages of the trial, but they’re still an impressive achievement that met the study’s primary goal.
What is striking is that CagriSema was developed in parallel studies for the treatment of both diabetes and obesity, reinforcing the link between these two conditions that are too often treated separately.
The $2 Billion Move
CagriSema promises further improvements in the field of weight-loss drugs, but there is also something bigger: a $2 billion deal that Novo Nordisk has just signed with the Chinese pharmaceutical company United Biotechnology. The goal? To secure global rights to the drug UBT251, a “triple agonist” (colloquially known as a “triple-G” drug) that acts on the glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptors.
In a small Phase II study conducted in China, UBT251 caused an average weight loss of 15,1% in just 12 weeks (versus 68 for CagriSema). If these results are confirmed in larger studies, we would be talking about a real game-changer in the treatment of obesity.
The Gold Rush of Slimming Drugs
There is a very specific reason why Novo Nordisk wants to speed things up: the rival Eli Lilly has already completed Phase III testing of its “triple-G” drug, Retatrutide, for both diabetes and obesity, and results are expected soon.
If it were to live up to the promises of previous studies, with greater weight loss than mounjaro (tirzepatide), Lilly could further consolidate its lead in the race to dominate the anti-obesity drug market.
Meanwhile, in China, UBT251 has been approved for testing not only for type 2 diabetes, but also for metabolically impaired fatty liver disease and chronic kidney disease. This greatly expands its potential impact on public health.
A new era in the fight against obesity
The agreement between Novo Nordisk e United Biotechnology It includes an initial payment of $200 million, with potential milestone payments of up to $1,8 billion, plus tiered royalties. A colossal investment that demonstrates how much the pharmaceutical industry is betting on these treatments.
The addition of a candidate that targets glucagon, in addition to GLP-1 and GIP, will add important electives to our clinical pipeline as we seek to develop a broad portfolio of differentiated treatment options that meet the diverse needs of people living with these highly prevalent diseases.
These words Martin Holst Lange, Executive Vice President for Development Novo Nordisk, which reflect the company's diversification strategy.
You will have understood: in an increasingly competitive market, even access to slimming drugs becomes a battleground. A battle that has just begun, the first chapter of a story that will change our approach to body weight forever.
