- Up to one in three participants on semaglutide 7.2 mg achieved at least 25% weight loss over 72 weeks
- Mean weight loss with semaglutide 7.2 mg reached 21%, reflecting overall treatment efficacy
- Up to 84% of weight loss was driven by reductions in fat mass, supporting meaningful improvements in body composition
SINGAPORE, July 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Novo Nordisk announced an update to the Singapore label for semaglutide, approved in Singapore as Wegovy® (semaglutide) injection, incorporating clinical evidence from the STEP UP trial in adults living with obesity without diabetes. In the trial, which evaluated a higher dose of semaglutide (7.2 mg), up to one in three participants receiving the higher dose achieved at least 25% weight loss over 72 weeks, while mean weight loss reached 21%. These findings highlight both the magnitude of weight loss and the importance of how weight is reduced, including meaningful improvements in body composition, offering healthcare professionals another option to support patients in their clinical care.
Additional analyses from the STEP UP trial showed that reduction in fat mass constitute up to 84% of weight loss, highlighting improvements in body composition. The trial also demonstrated patients' reduction in sudden, impulsive loss of control when seeing or thinking about food. This supports other real-world data about people taking semaglutide for weight management experiencing a substantial drop in food noise (unwanted and intrusive thoughts about food).
Obesity is a chronic disease requiring long-term, individualised management. Effective treatment often involves a combination of medical intervention, lifestyle support and continuous follow-up under healthcare professional supervision, with approaches tailored over time to support individual patient needs.
Stephanie Ambrose, Head of Medical and Regulatory Affairs, Novo Nordisk Singapore, shared: "In obesity management, the conversation is shifting from simply how much weight is lost to how that weight is lost. Increasingly, evidence shows that meaningful health outcomes are driven by reductions in fat mass, alongside improvements in appetite control and eating behaviours. This reinforces the importance for healthcare professionals to focus not just on weight reduction alone, but on the quality of weight loss when tailoring long-term treatment approaches."
Wegovy® is indicated in Singapore for weight management in adults with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 or ≥ 27 kg/m2 with a weight-related comorbidity, along with diet and exercise.
About the STEP UP trial
The STEP UP and STEP UP T2D phase 3 trials investigated the efficacy and safety of injectable semaglutide 7.2 mg in people with obesity without or with type 2 diabetes.
The 72-week STEP UP trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of injectable semaglutide 7.2 mg compared to semaglutide 2.4 mg and placebo as an adjunct to lifestyle intervention. The trial included approximately 1,400 adults with obesity. The 72-week STEP UP T2D trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of injectable semaglutide 7.2 mg compared to placebo in approximately 500 adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
| Mean weight loss at 72 weeks with semaglutide 7.2 mg in STEP UP trials |
| STEP UP | STEP UP T2D |
| Efficacy estimand* | 20.7 % | 14.1 % |
| Treatment-regimen estimand** | 18.7 % | 13.2 % |
| Categorical weight loss*** | 31.2% of patients achieved ≥25% weight loss | 21.3% of patients achieved ≥20% weight loss |
Mean weight loss at 72 weeks with semaglutide 7.2 mg in STEP UP trials
STEP UP
STEP UP T2D
Efficacy estimand*
20.7 %
14.1 %
Treatment-regimen estimand**
18.7 %
13.2 %
Categorical weight loss***
31.2% of patients achieved ≥25% weight loss
21.3% of patients achieved ≥20% weight loss
* Treatment effect if all people adhered to treatment,
** Treatment effect regardless of treatment adherence,
*** Observed proportions based on in-trial period.
About Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is a leading global healthcare company founded in 1923 and headquartered in Denmark. Our purpose is to drive change to defeat serious chronic diseases built upon our heritage in diabetes. We do so by pioneering scientific breakthroughs, expanding access to our medicines, and working to prevent and ultimately cure disease. Novo Nordisk employs about 67,900 people in 80 countries and markets its products in around 170 countries. In Singapore, Novo Nordisk has been present since 1997 and has approximately 100 employees.
For more information, visit novonordisk.com, Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn and YouTube.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Wegovy® (semaglutide) label updated in Singapore with higher dose supported by STEP UP evidence
- Udon Kaden's two signature dishes — Signature Udon and Chilled Udon — launch in the U.S.
- Available at H Mart, Jagalchi, Mega Mart and other retail partners, and online at Kurlyglobal.com
- Chef Jung Ho Young will host in-store tastings at four California stores on August 22–23
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kurly, the premium Korean food company bringing the country's most-loved foods to American consumers, announced the U.S. launch of two frozen udon dishes from Udon Kaden, the beloved Seoul noodle house of chef Jung Ho Young. The launch expands Kurly's line of chef-restaurant frozen meals in the American market.
The two products recreate the flavors of Kaden's best-known menu items for the home kitchen: Signature Udon, a warm bowl built on a clear, deeply savory dashi, and Chilled Udon, its cold, no-broth counterpart.
Jung is one of Korea's most recognizable Japanese-cuisine chefs, familiar to audiences from Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars" Season 2 and the long-running "Chef & My Fridge." After earning his footing in Japanese restaurants in Korea, he trained at the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka, then returned to open the izakaya Kaden and, later, Udon Kaden. He has spent more than 20 years cooking Japanese food.
Udon Kaden built its reputation on two things: noodles with a taut, bouncy bite, and a broth of kombu, anchovy and smoked mackerel flakes. The restaurant has drawn steady lines in Seoul for nearly a decade, and today operates locations in Seoul's Yeonhui-dong neighborhood and on Jeju Island.
Signature Udon pairs fresh-frozen udon noodles with a broth modeled on the restaurant's dashi, finished with bonito flakes. The noodles boil in 8 to 9 minutes while the broth heats separately in 1 to 2 — assemble, and the bowl is done. Chilled Udon takes the opposite path: a concentrated dashi-rich sauce, grated radish and toppings poured over cold noodles, trading the comfort of hot soup for a chewier bite and a denser hit of umami.
Both dishes arrive with a track record. In Korea, where the products launched first on Kurly's marketplace, Signature Udon (sold there as Original Udon) has drawn nearly 20,000 customer reviews, and the Udon Kaden line's combined product page has accumulated more than 50,000.
The launch extends a playbook Kurly has refined in Korea since 2017: working directly with chefs and restaurants to turn their signature menus into frozen meals. Kurly USA previously introduced Mokran, the Chinese-cuisine brand of chef Lee Yeon Bok, and is broadening the lineup with Udon Kaden and Yun Seoul, from chef Kim Do Yun.
To mark the launch, Chef Jung will host in-store tastings across California on August 22–23 — in Southern California at H Mart Buena Park and H Mart Irvine NorthPark, and in Northern California at Jagalchi in Daly City and Mega Mart in East Palo Alto.
"Udon Kaden is a defining example of what we do: a chef's recipe and a restaurant's identity, thoughtfully recreated as a frozen meal," said Ryan Chung, Head of Global Business at Kurly. "Starting with Asian grocery retailers, we will keep widening the places where American consumers can bring Korea's chefs and restaurant brands into their everyday cooking."
Signature Udon and Chilled Udon are available at H Mart and other participating retailers, and online at Kurlyglobal.com. Online delivery areas and stock may vary by address and time of order.
About Kurly
Kurly is a premium Korean food company that discovers and introduces the country's most trusted food brands, beloved restaurants, and chef collaborations. On its marketplace in Korea, Kurly pioneered the category of restaurant meals recreated for the home freezer, working with chefs and restaurants since 2017 to bring their signature menus into home kitchens — including Mokran by chef Lee Yeon Bok, which has sold more than 7 million units, Udon Kaden by chef Jung Ho Young, and Yun Seoul by chef Kim Do Yun. Kurly USA brings a curated selection of these proven products to the American market, alongside Korean beauty and lifestyle goods — from Mokran's jjajangmyeon and jjamppong to Yun Seoul's perilla-oil noodles.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Kurly, the premium Korean food company bringing the country's most-loved foods to American consumers, announced the U.S. launch of two frozen udon dishes from Udon Kaden, the beloved Seoul noodle house of chef Jung Ho Young. The launch expands Kurly's line of chef-restaurant frozen meals in the American market.
The two products recreate the flavors of Kaden's best-known menu items for the home kitchen: Signature Udon, a warm bowl built on a clear, deeply savory dashi, and Chilled Udon, its cold, no-broth counterpart.
Jung is one of Korea's most recognizable Japanese-cuisine chefs, familiar to audiences from Netflix's "Culinary Class Wars" Season 2 and the long-running "Chef & My Fridge." After earning his footing in Japanese restaurants in Korea, he trained at the Tsuji Culinary Institute in Osaka, then returned to open the izakaya Kaden and, later, Udon Kaden. He has spent more than 20 years cooking Japanese food.
Udon Kaden built its reputation on two things: noodles with a taut, bouncy bite, and a broth of kombu, anchovy and smoked mackerel flakes. The restaurant has drawn steady lines in Seoul for nearly a decade, and today operates locations in Seoul's Yeonhui-dong neighborhood and on Jeju Island.
Signature Udon pairs fresh-frozen udon noodles with a broth modeled on the restaurant's dashi, finished with bonito flakes. The noodles boil in 8 to 9 minutes while the broth heats separately in 1 to 2 — assemble, and the bowl is done. Chilled Udon takes the opposite path: a concentrated dashi-rich sauce, grated radish and toppings poured over cold noodles, trading the comfort of hot soup for a chewier bite and a denser hit of umami.
Both dishes arrive with a track record. In Korea, where the products launched first on Kurly's marketplace, Signature Udon (sold there as Original Udon) has drawn nearly 20,000 customer reviews, and the Udon Kaden line's combined product page has accumulated more than 50,000.
The launch extends a playbook Kurly has refined in Korea since 2017: working directly with chefs and restaurants to turn their signature menus into frozen meals. Kurly USA previously introduced Mokran, the Chinese-cuisine brand of chef Lee Yeon Bok, and is broadening the lineup with Udon Kaden and Yun Seoul, from chef Kim Do Yun.
To mark the launch, Chef Jung will host in-store tastings across California on August 22–23 — in Southern California at H Mart Buena Park and H Mart Irvine NorthPark, and in Northern California at Jagalchi in Daly City and Mega Mart in East Palo Alto.
"Udon Kaden is a defining example of what we do: a chef's recipe and a restaurant's identity, thoughtfully recreated as a frozen meal," said Ryan Chung, Head of Global Business at Kurly. "Starting with Asian grocery retailers, we will keep widening the places where American consumers can bring Korea's chefs and restaurant brands into their everyday cooking."
Signature Udon and Chilled Udon are available at H Mart and other participating retailers, and online at Kurlyglobal.com. Online delivery areas and stock may vary by address and time of order.
About Kurly
Kurly is a premium Korean food company that discovers and introduces the country's most trusted food brands, beloved restaurants, and chef collaborations. On its marketplace in Korea, Kurly pioneered the category of restaurant meals recreated for the home freezer, working with chefs and restaurants since 2017 to bring their signature menus into home kitchens — including Mokran by chef Lee Yeon Bok, which has sold more than 7 million units, Udon Kaden by chef Jung Ho Young, and Yun Seoul by chef Kim Do Yun. Kurly USA brings a curated selection of these proven products to the American market, alongside Korean beauty and lifestyle goods — from Mokran's jjajangmyeon and jjamppong to Yun Seoul's perilla-oil noodles.
** This press release is distributed by PR Newswire through automated distribution system, for which the client assumes full responsibility. **
Kurly Expands Its Chef-Driven Food Collection with Udon Kaden's U.S. Retail Launch
