Novo Nordisk presents CagriSema brain-imaging, organ-fat and bone data at EASD 2026

Novo Nordisk on September 30, 2026 presented three new analyses of CagriSema at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting, covering how the investigational drug affects brain responses to food images, fat stored in and around abdominal organs, and markers of bone turnover ^[1].

CagriSema is a once-weekly injection that combines cagrilintide, a long-acting amylin receptor agonist, with semaglutide, the GLP-1 receptor agonist sold as Ozempic and Wegovy ^[1]. It is not approved. Novo filed a New Drug Application with the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2025 for weight management, and a decision is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026 ^[1].

What the brain-imaging study found

In a 52-week functional MRI study in adults with overweight or obesity, CagriSema changed how the brain responded to pictures of tempting, high-calorie foods in regions tied to cravings, reward, sensory processing and behavioral control ^[1]. Participants also reported reductions in "food noise," cravings, hunger, appetite and food-related thoughts, and better control over cravings, at both 22 and 52 weeks ^[1].

Those changes came alongside a 22.4% reduction in body weight versus placebo at 52 weeks, described as an estimated treatment difference with a p-value below 0.0001 ^[1]. The abstract received a Best Abstract Award at the meeting ^[1].

"What is striking about this behavioural and brain fMRI data is that, after 52 weeks, across all measures of appetite and eating behaviour, people with overweight and obesity had substantially reduced food cravings and sustained changes in the brain response to viewing pictures of high-calorie foods," said Tony Goldstone, clinical professor in psychoneuroendocrinology at Imperial College London ^[1].

How many people were scanned, and what side effects occurred, has not been disclosed in the announcement ^[1].

Organ fat and bone markers in type 2 diabetes

A separate MRI sub-study within REIMAGINE 1, a 40-week phase 3 trial in 189 adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on diet and exercise, found that CagriSema 2.4 mg/2.4 mg produced significant reductions in abdominal fat and in fat around the liver and pancreas compared with placebo, alongside a 14.3% body-weight reduction at week 40 ^[1]. Fat stored in the liver, pancreas and around abdominal organs — called ectopic fat — is a known contributor to insulin resistance and the progression of type 2 diabetes ^[1].

The third analysis was a post hoc look at bone biomarkers from REIMAGINE 2, a 68-week trial in 2,713 adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin with or without an SGLT2 inhibitor ^[1]. It showed what Novo described as signs of a healthy balance in bone maintenance alongside a 14.2% body-weight reduction with CagriSema 2.4 mg/2.4 mg at week 68 ^[1]. The study authors called this "preliminary reassurance regarding bone changes with CagriSema in type 2 diabetes" ^[1].

All three were late-breaking conference abstracts rather than full peer-reviewed publications ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Much of the public conversation about GLP-1 drugs has focused on the number on the scale. These analyses are aimed at different questions: whether the medicine quiets persistent thoughts about food, where fat is lost from inside the body, and whether rapid weight loss comes at a cost to bone.

The bone finding is the most limited. It measured blood markers of bone turnover in a post hoc analysis — not bone mineral density and not fracture rates — and the researchers themselves framed it as preliminary ^[1]. Whether CagriSema protects or weakens bone over years is not yet known.

The weight figures also come from different populations and time points and are not interchangeable: 22.4% versus placebo at 52 weeks in people with overweight or obesity, 14.3% at 40 weeks and 14.2% at 68 weeks in people with type 2 diabetes ^[1]. Weight loss is typically smaller in trials of people with type 2 diabetes.

What happens next

An FDA decision on CagriSema for weight management is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026 ^[1]. Novo also began a phase 3 trial in 2026 of a higher dose, CagriSema 2.4 mg/7.2 mg, in adults with obesity ^[1]. Pricing, insurance coverage and a US launch date have not been disclosed.