CagriSema Shows 25% Weight Loss in Women: What About Menopause?

By Katie Sorensen, NP-C | Weight Loss NP

A new weight loss medication is making headlines this week, and the results in women are impressive!

On October 20, Novo Nordisk released new data showing an average 25% weight loss in women taking CagriSema, an investigational medication that combines semaglutide with another hormone-based treatment called cagrilintide.

Even more interesting? Researchers looked at women before, during, and after menopause, and the results were encouraging across all three groups.

As a nurse practitioner who treats women struggling with weight gain during perimenopause and menopause, I’m excited to see more research that actually looks at how these medications work in women at different stages of life.

But before anyone starts searching for CagriSema online, there’s something you need to know.

CagriSema is not FDA approved, and it isn’t yet available as an approved prescription weight loss treatment in the United States.

Here’s what the new research found, what we still don’t know, and what women can do right now.

What is CagriSema?

CagriSema is an investigational, once-weekly injectable medication being developed by Novo Nordisk.

It combines two medications:

• Semaglutide: A GLP-1 receptor agonist that helps regulate appetite, fullness, and blood sugar. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Wegovy.
• Cagrilintide: A long-acting amylin analog. Amylin is a hormone involved in appetite regulation and feelings of fullness.

The idea is that using these two pathways together may produce greater weight loss than targeting GLP-1 alone.

CagriSema is being studied as a fixed-dose combination of semaglutide 2.4 mg and cagrilintide 2.4 mg.

Unlike Wegovy, CagriSema has not yet received FDA approval.

What did the new CagriSema study find?

On October 20, 2026, Novo Nordisk released two new analyses from its Phase 3 REDEFINE 1 clinical trial.

The original trial enrolled 3,417 adults with obesity or overweight and at least one weight-related health condition, without type 2 diabetes.

Researchers specifically looked at weight loss outcomes among women.

In an analysis of 2,309 women, those assigned to CagriSema experienced an estimated 25.0% average weight loss after 68 weeks, compared with 3.0% among women assigned to placebo.

For perspective, someone starting at 200 pounds would lose approximately 50 pounds with a 25% reduction in body weight.

That’s an illustration of the percentage, not a prediction of what an individual patient would lose.

The same analysis found:

• 93.3% of women taking CagriSema were estimated to lose at least 10% of their starting weight.
• 68.7% were estimated to lose at least 20%.
• Average waist circumference decreased by approximately 20.5 cm, or about 8 inches.

These results used an efficacy estimand, which estimates outcomes under the assumption that participants remained on treatment without using other weight loss medications.

Actual treatment experiences can differ, particularly when side effects lead people to stop or change treatment.

You can review the October 20 Novo Nordisk research announcement.

How well did CagriSema work during menopause?

This was the part of the announcement I found especially interesting.

Researchers separately analyzed 1,902 women according to whether they were premenopausal, perimenopausal, or postmenopausal.

Here’s what they found after 68 weeks:

Menopause stage	Average weight loss with CagriSema	Average with placebo
Premenopausal	26.7%	2.1%
Perimenopausal	24.8%	1.7%
Postmenopausal	23.1%	2.6%

These were estimated averages from a post hoc analysis, not individual predictions.

Women in all three groups had substantial weight loss with CagriSema.

That’s encouraging, especially for women who have spent years feeling frustrated because weight loss seems harder during midlife.

However, I wouldn’t interpret the slightly different percentages as proof that CagriSema works better before menopause.

Menopause groups were assigned after the fact using age, medical history, and documented symptoms. Researchers did not formally establish that menopause stage caused differences in medication response.

This analysis gives us more reasons to study the question, but it doesn’t settle it.

Could CagriSema help with menopause-related belly fat?

Many women notice changes in where they carry weight during perimenopause and menopause.

Even women whose overall weight hasn’t changed dramatically may notice more fat accumulating around their abdomen.

Estrogen changes, aging, muscle loss, and lifestyle factors can all play a role.

In the CagriSema analysis, researchers also observed meaningful reductions in waist circumference.

That interests me because waist circumference can help us assess changes in abdominal fat and cardiometabolic risk.

But the study didn’t prove that CagriSema specifically reverses menopause-related fat redistribution.

It also doesn’t tell us whether women need hormone replacement therapy to get these results.

For now, we should view these findings as encouraging obesity-treatment research rather than a menopause-specific treatment recommendation.

How does CagriSema compare with semaglutide?

The REDEFINE 1 trial included treatment groups receiving CagriSema, semaglutide alone, cagrilintide alone, and placebo.

In the analysis of women, estimated average weight loss at 68 weeks was:

• CagriSema: 25.0%
• Semaglutide 2.4 mg: 19.0%
• Cagrilintide 2.4 mg: 13.4%
• Placebo: 3.0%

These numbers help explain why researchers are interested in combining the two medications.

However, they don’t tell us whether every individual woman would do better on CagriSema than semaglutide.

We also can’t use these findings to conclude that CagriSema is better than tirzepatide for women in menopause. That would require appropriate direct comparative evidence.

And there’s another question I care about just as much as the weight loss numbers.

What about CagriSema side effects?

A medication can produce impressive weight loss and still be a poor fit for certain patients.

In the overall REDEFINE 1 trial, gastrointestinal side effects were common.

According to Novo Nordisk’s published results:

• 55% of participants taking CagriSema reported nausea, compared with 12.6% on placebo.
• 30.7% reported constipation, compared with 11.6% on placebo.
• 26.1% reported vomiting, compared with 4.1% on placebo.
• 5.9% discontinued CagriSema because of adverse events, compared with 3.5% on placebo.

Many reported gastrointestinal events were mild or moderate and temporary, but those rates deserve attention.

Patients need to be able to eat adequately, maintain hydration, preserve muscle, and function well during treatment.

I don’t believe severe appetite suppression or constant nausea should be considered signs that a medication is working better.

We want weight loss that improves health, and we want patients to feel well enough to maintain the habits that support their results.

Is CagriSema FDA approved? When will it be available?

As of October 22, 2026, CagriSema is not FDA approved in the United States.

Novo Nordisk submitted a New Drug Application in December 2025 and has said it expects an FDA decision during the fourth quarter of 2026.

That is an anticipated regulatory timeline, not a guarantee of approval or availability.

The company also states that CagriSema’s safety and efficacy have not yet been established for approved clinical use.

If you see someone advertising CagriSema for sale right now, be cautious.

An investigational drug being sold online is not the same as receiving an FDA-approved medication from a licensed pharmacy.

I would not recommend buying products marketed as CagriSema or cagrilintide research peptides for personal weight loss treatment.

Should women wait for CagriSema before starting weight loss treatment?

My answer is usually no.

I’m excited about these medications, but there are already effective, FDA-approved treatments available.

If you’re struggling with obesity, insulin resistance, prediabetes, sleep apnea, joint pain, or other weight-related health concerns, you don’t necessarily need to wait for the next drug.

Wegovy and Zepbound are among the currently approved options that may be appropriate depending on your medical history, eligibility, insurance, and treatment goals.

At Weight Loss NP, we help patients understand their GLP-1 weight loss options, including medication selection, individualized dosing, side effect management, and maintenance planning.

The newest medication isn’t automatically the best medication for every patient.

If you’re already taking semaglutide or tirzepatide and doing well, I wouldn’t recommend abandoning a working treatment plan based on preliminary CagriSema results.

What if you’re in menopause and your current GLP-1 isn’t working as well as you’d hoped?

Before deciding you need a stronger medication, I would want to look at a few things.

1. Is your medication controlling your appetite appropriately?

We look at your dose, how you’re responding, your side effects, and whether an adjustment is appropriate.

The goal isn’t to eliminate your appetite completely.

2. Are you getting enough protein and maintaining muscle?

Muscle preservation becomes especially important during midlife.

Strength training and adequate nutrition help support healthier weight loss and long-term maintenance.

I don’t recommend tracking every calorie indefinitely. When needed, a brief nutrition check-in can help us identify gaps.

3. Are menopause symptoms affecting your sleep and daily routines?

Hot flashes, night sweats, and disrupted sleep can make an already challenging weight loss process more difficult.

If those symptoms are significant, it’s worth discussing menopause treatment options separately from your weight loss medication.

You can learn more about perimenopause and menopause care at Weight Loss NP.

4. Do we need to reconsider your overall treatment plan?

Sometimes a medication adjustment makes sense. Other times, the bigger opportunity is improving nutrition, strength training, sleep, or consistency.

Our Metabolic Success System™ focuses on medication optimization alongside the habits and health factors that support lasting results.

What I hope comes from this research

I love seeing more obesity research specifically evaluating women before, during, and after menopause.

For a long time, women have been telling us that losing weight in midlife feels different, and we need better answers about how hormonal changes influence treatment response.

The CagriSema results are promising. They also leave several questions unanswered, including long-term tolerability and whether menopause stage meaningfully changes how women respond.

For now, my advice is to work with the effective treatment options we already have rather than putting your health on hold while waiting for a future medication.

If you’re struggling with midlife weight changes, we’d be happy to help you explore your options.

Frequently asked questions about CagriSema

Meet with Weight Loss NP for individualized medical weight loss care in Denver, Arvada, and throughout Colorado, with eligible telehealth services in Utah and Florida.