CagriSema EASD 2026 data announced by Novo Nordisk on 30 September 2026 in Bagsværd, Denmark, describe how the investigational obesity and diabetes treatment works inside both the brain and the body. The results were presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting 2026. They cover three studies: a 52-week brain imaging study, a diabetes MRI sub-study and a bone marker analysis.
The company highlighted three headline findings. In a year-long functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, CagriSema changed how the brain reacted to tempting, high-calorie foods in areas linked to cravings, pleasure and self-control. In adults with type 2 diabetes, it reduced harmful fat around abdominal organs, including the liver and pancreas. Early findings also suggest bone health was maintained despite substantial weight loss.
Novo Nordisk says these findings together suggest CagriSema may address underlying factors of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the brain and in multiple organs and tissues, not only weight and blood sugar. CagriSema is a once-weekly subcutaneous fixed-dose combination of cagrilintide, a long-acting amylin receptor agonist, and semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist. The CagriSema EASD 2026 presentations draw on the company’s REDEFINE (obesity) and REIMAGINE (type 2 diabetes) programmes.
CagriSema EASD 2026 fMRI Study: How Novo Nordisk’s Investigational Drug Changed Brain Responses to Food Cues
The fMRI study ran for 52 weeks in adults living with overweight or obesity. Functional MRI is a non-invasive technique that measures brain activity during specific tasks. According to Novo Nordisk, CagriSema modified brain responses to high-calorie food cues in regions linked to cravings, reward, sensory processing and behavioural control. The study also received a Best Abstract Award at EASD 2026. The number of participants was not disclosed in the release.
Beyond the imaging results, CagriSema substantially improved eating behaviour. The company reports reductions in ‘food noise’, cravings, hunger, appetite and food-related thoughts, along with improved craving control, after both 22 and 52 weeks of treatment. These improvements were associated with a 22.4% reduction in body weight versus placebo at 52 weeks (p<0.0001). The abstract was authored by Uhre VF, Alex M, Bak N and colleagues.
Professor Tony Goldstone of Imperial College London called the behavioural and fMRI data striking. He said participants had substantially reduced food cravings and sustained changes in brain responses to pictures of high-calorie foods. He linked this to reduced energy intake and body weight. The release notes that many people describe persistent thoughts about food as a barrier to sustained weight loss, and that therapies have historically been judged mainly on scale weight.
CagriSema EASD 2026 REIMAGINE Data: Organ Fat and Bone Marker Findings in Type 2 Diabetes
A separate diabetes MRI sub-study evaluated whole-body metabolic effects in the phase 3a REIMAGINE 1 trial in adults with early type 2 diabetes (NCT06323174). CagriSema 2.4 mg/2.4 mg produced significant reductions versus placebo in fat in the abdomen and around the liver and pancreas. Body weight fell 14.3% at week 40. The exact size of the fat reductions was not disclosed in the release.
The finding matters because of ectopic fat, which is fat that accumulates in the liver, pancreas and around abdominal organs. The release describes it as a key contributor to insulin resistance and to progression of type 2 diabetes. It cites peer-reviewed work on ectopic fat in the International Journal of Endocrinology and in BMC Medicine. The company also notes that obesity raises risk for cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), chronic kidney disease and multiple cancers.
The third study was a post hoc analysis of bone markers from the phase 3 REIMAGINE 2 trial in adults with inadequately controlled type 2 diabetes (NCT06065540). It showed 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. The authors describe this as “preliminary reassurance” on bone changes. Because the analysis is post hoc and the marker values were not disclosed, the CagriSema EASD 2026 bone findings should be read as early.
What CagriSema EASD 2026 Results Mean for Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, According to Novo Nordisk Leaders
Martin Holst Lange, executive vice president, chief scientific officer and head of Research & Development at Novo Nordisk, said the company is encouraged by CagriSema’s potential to reduce measurable ‘food noise’. He also said people with overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes increasingly look beyond the amount of weight lost to its quality. In his view, the data add to emerging evidence that CagriSema’s amylin component may influence disease biology across the brain and multiple organs.
Novo Nordisk concludes that the three studies together suggest coordinated effects on eating behaviour, fat levels in and around organs, and bone remodelling. These are mechanisms that extend beyond weight reduction. The company says the studies were designed to measure how the therapy affects the brain, behaviour and body rather than weight alone. That framing is central to how the CagriSema EASD 2026 package positions the drug within the Novo Nordisk company profile.
CagriSema EASD 2026 Regulatory Status and Phase 3 Programme: FDA Decision Expected in Q4 2026
Novo Nordisk submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) for CagriSema in obesity to the US Food and Drug Administration and to Health Canada in December 2025. The company states that an FDA decision is expected in Q4 2026. This is a forward-looking statement, and the outcome is not guaranteed. The release does not give a decision date for Health Canada. Readers can follow US regulatory updates through the FDA drugs portal and our FDA approvals tracker.
Novo Nordisk also initiated a phase 3 efficacy and safety trial of high-dose CagriSema 2.4 mg/7.2 mg in adults with obesity in 2026. The REDEFINE programme includes two pivotal phase 3 trials that enrolled approximately 4,600 adults with overweight or obesity. The wider programme spans REDEFINE 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 11, from 68-week efficacy studies to a 7,000-person cardiovascular outcomes trial.
In type 2 diabetes, REIMAGINE 1, 2 and 3 have reported design details, and REIMAGINE 4 and 5 compared CagriSema with tirzepatide in adults on standard of care. Results from REIMAGINE 4 and 5 were not disclosed in this release. Novo Nordisk states that CagriSema is investigational and that its medicines are for approved indications in each country or region.
