Fri Dec 20 11:40:00 UTC 2024: ## Novo Nordisk Stock Plunges After Weight-Loss Drug Trial Disappoints

**London, UK** – Shares of Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical giant, plummeted by as much as 24% on Friday following the release of disappointing late-stage trial results for its experimental weight-loss drug, CagriSema. The drug, a combination of semaglutide (the active ingredient in its popular Wegovy drug) and amylin analog Cagrilintide, achieved a 22.7% weight reduction in patients, falling short of the company’s previously projected 25%.

While the stock recovered some ground to trade down approximately 17.9% by midday London time, the news dealt a significant blow to expectations for CagriSema to become a leading next-generation obesity treatment. Conversely, shares of rival Eli Lilly, another obesity drug maker, saw a pre-market surge of 10%, although this later moderated to a 5% increase.

Novo Nordisk maintains a positive outlook, emphasizing that CagriSema outperformed both semaglutide and cagrilintide individually and achieved results comparable to best-in-class treatments. Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president for Development at Novo Nordisk, stated that the company plans to further investigate CagriSema’s weight loss potential based on the REDEFINE 1 trial data. The trial’s lower-than-expected results were attributed in part to only 57% of participants reaching the highest CagriSema dosage. This is a developing story.

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