Novo Nordisk said a retrospective analysis of 636,525 adults with type 2 diabetes associated escalation from 1 mg to 2 mg once-weekly semaglutide with a statistically significant 6% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events than switching to Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide at doses up to 15 mg. The composite outcome included all-cause death, myocardial infarction and stroke. Separately, Novo licensed Hengrui Pharma’s Phase 1-ready oral GLP-1/GIP dual agonist HRS-1596 for obesity and type 2 diabetes outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, agreeing to pay $300 million upfront and up to $2.6 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestones. Novo shares were down 1.34% at $38.19 on Tuesday.