Novo Nordisk to test next-gen obesity drug CagriSema in children

Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk is planning to test its experimental obesity drug, CagriSema, in overweight children and adolescents, according to a U.S. registry of clinical trials.

The late-stage trial, set to begin in January, is expected to enroll 460 children as young as eight years across 97 test centers globally, including the U.S., China and Europe.

The drug combines cagrilintide, which mimics pancreatic hormone amylin, and semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy.

The study will assess the main goal of change in baseline body weight after 68 weeks in participants randomly chosen to receive either CagriSema, cagrilintide, semaglutide or placebo.

Novo did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment.

The Danish drugmaker had positioned CagriSema as a more potent successor to its blockbuster drug, Wegovy, but lower-than-expected weight loss in two prior studies disappointed investors.

The underwhelming results prompted Novo to launch a new late-stage trial in June.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas)