Novo Nordisk is seen as having fallen behind in the race for new obesity drugs. It argues it is playing the long game.

Novo Nordisk’s new weight-loss drug helped patients lose even more weight on average than its current Wegovy blockbuster treatment, an early-stage trial showed, as the drugmaker races to develop the next generation of obesity medicines.

Novo Nordisk had been providing Hims & Hers with the FDA-approved Wegovy, an injectable semaglutide used for weight loss since late April in order to transition patients off compounded drugs, or off-label versions of the medication, according to the news release.