What Happened
Novo Nordisk presented new post hoc analyses of its phase 3 REDEFINE 1 trial at the Menopause Society Annual Meeting, reporting that women with obesity or overweight treated with the investigational combination drug CagriSema lost an average of 25.0% of their body weight at 68 weeks, compared with 3.0% for women on placebo.
The data come from 2,309 women enrolled in REDEFINE 1, evaluated under an efficacy estimand — a model of what happens if every participant stays on treatment without interruption. A second analysis grouped 1,902 women by menopausal status and found average weight loss of 26.7% in premenopausal, 24.8% in perimenopausal, and 23.1% in postmenopausal participants, against placebo losses of roughly 1.7% to 2.6%. Waist circumference, a secondary endpoint tied to abdominal fat, fell by an average of 20.5 cm versus 4.7 cm on placebo.
The company said the results suggest women may lose slightly more weight on CagriSema than the broader mixed-sex population in the trial's primary readout, which showed 22.7% average weight loss at 68 weeks.
Who Is Affected
- Women with obesity or overweight made up about two-thirds of REDEFINE 1's roughly 3,400 participants, so this subgroup covers the majority of the trial population.
- Clinicians treating patients across all menopause stages saw consistent benefit — notable because hormonal shifts after menopause typically make weight loss harder.
- The data do not change the drug's legal status: CagriSema remains investigational, with no approval in any country, and the analyses are not a green light for use.
Timeline
- December 2024: REDEFINE 1 primary results reported — CagriSema delivered 22.7% average weight loss at 68 weeks, short of the company's stated 25% target.
- October 20, 2026: Novo Nordisk presents the women-specific post hoc analyses at the Menopause Society Annual Meeting.
- Ahead: Novo continues regulatory preparation for CagriSema while follow-up analyses of the REDEFINE program are still being read out.
What This Means for Researchers
The subgroup numbers are post hoc — defined after the data were collected — so they are hypothesis-generating rather than confirmatory. Still, a spread of roughly 2.3 percentage points favoring women, consistent across menopause stages, is a meaningful signal for trial design. The menopause-stage breakdown gives researchers one of the first sizable datasets on how hormonal status interacts with dual amylin and GLP-1 receptor agonism, and the waist-circumference reductions point to a visceral-fat effect worth tracking in future cardiometabolic outcomes trials.
How to Verify Your Peptides
CagriSema's rising profile invites black-market copies. If you purchase research-grade peptides:
- Review how PepsReview's lab testing works — vendor pages on this site reflect independent analytical results.
- Start with a free sample test before committing to any bulk order.
Safe Alternatives
- Approved GLP-1 options with real safety data exist today — see our reference pages for semaglutide and tirzepatide.
- Compare independently tested suppliers on our peptides and vendors directories before buying anything labeled for research use only.
Sources
Regulatory announcements; Novo Nordisk scientific disclosures and industry reports from the Menopause Society Annual Meeting, October 2026.