After CagriSema blow, Novo reveals data for obesity 'triple'

Novo Nordisk has said its triple-action obesity therapy UBT251 – licensed from United Biotechnology – achieved close to 20% weight loss at 24 weeks in a mid-stage trial.

The results in a Chinese population living with obesity are the first major readout for UBT251, a 'triple G' agonist of the receptors for GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon that was the centrepiece of Novo Nordisk's $2 billion licensing deal with United signed last year.

The company is playing catch-up in the triple G category, however, as its main rival in the weight-loss category, Eli Lilly, already has phase 3 data in hand with its candidate retatrutide, showing average weight losses of up to 28.7% at 68 weeks.

The new data reveal – which the Danish pharma group said pointed to a "differentiated clinical profile" for the once-weekly injectable drug – comes right after Novo Nordisk reported disappointing data with amylin and GLP-1-targeted CagriSema (cagrilintide and semaglutide).

In the head-to-head REDEFINE 4 trial, CagriSema was found to be less effective than Eli Lilly's fast-growing GIP/GLP-1 agonist Zepbound (tirzepatide), which is currently setting the pace in the injectable weight-loss therapy category with sales rocketing to nearly $5 billion last year.

Zepbound overtook Novo Nordisk's current injectable obesity therapy – Wegovy (semaglutide) – in the fourth quarter of 2025, and Novo Nordisk had banked on CagriSema as a near-term growth driver while other candidates in its weight-loss pipeline proceed through clinical testing.

UBT251 is one of those candidates, along with oral and subcutaneous formulations of amylin and GLP-1 agonist amycretin and its recently launched oral formulation of Wegovy, which has started well in the US market, but could face competition from Lilly's oral GLP-1 agonist orforglipron within the next few weeks.

The phase 2 trial compared 2 mg, 4 mg, and 6 mg doses of UBT251 to placebo in Chinese people with a baseline mean body weight of 92.2 kg. At the 24-week readout, the highest mean weight loss observed for people treated with UBT251 was 19.7%, compared to 2% in the control group.

The weight loss was accompanied by statistically significant improvements versus placebo on secondary endpoints, including waist circumference, blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipids, said Novo Nordisk, which also said UBT521 was safe and well-tolerated with a profile "consistent with incretin-based therapies."

Novo Nordisk recently initiated an international phase 1b/2a trial of the triple G agonist, and the company is expecting to report results from that study next year. It also intends to start a phase 2 trial of the drug in type 2 diabetes later in 2026.

United Biotechnology, meanwhile, has said it plans to start a phase 3 programme for UBT251. It has retained rights to the drug in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.