A five-year trial of weight-loss drug Ozempic helped reduce the risk of kidney disease-related events in people with type 2 diabetes by 24%, Novo Nordisk AS said on Tuesday.
The Danish company revealed the results of the experiment, which was called “Flo,” after it was stopped based on the recommendation of an independent monitoring committee on October 10, 2023, after it showed successful results.
The trial compared injectable semaglutide, which the company markets as Ozempic, with placebo to evaluate its effectiveness in treating people with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
About 3,533 patients participated in the trial, which demonstrated a statistically significant and superior reduction in kidney disease progression, major adverse cardiovascular events and death with the 1.0 mg dose.
“Furthermore, the superiority of semaglutide 1 mg over placebo for confirmed secondary endpoints was confirmed,” the company said in a statement.
Semaglutide proved safe and well-tolerated in the trial, consistent with previous trials at a dose of 1.0 mg.
“Nearly 40% of people with type 2 diabetes have chronic kidney disease, so the positive results from FLOW demonstrate the potential for semaglutide to become the first GLP-1 treatment option for people with type 2 diabetes,” Martin said. And chronic kidney disease. Holst Lange, Executive Vice President of Development at Novo Nordisk NVO,
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The company plans to apply for regulatory approval to expand the Ozempic brand into the US and EU in 2024, and will publish detailed results from Flow at a scientific conference.
Jefferies analysts said the reading, while in line with its expectations of a 25% reduction in kidney risk, may disappoint what they called “elevated” expectations.
“In our view it is probably below market expectations,” analysts led by Peter Wilford wrote in a note to clients.
“Importantly, these results do not expand the range of GLP-1 that can be administered, but strengthen the case for further use of GLP-1 in type 2 diabetes under our market model,” the analysts wrote.
Jefferies has an Underperform rating on Novo Nordisk, due to valuation and long-term trends, which include an uncertain increase in supplies of Wegovy, a reference to the company's other diabetes and weight loss drug. She also expects a rapid erosion of prices in the US, says the space is seeing a lot of competitor reading, and believes the risk abundance for obesity drugs has peaked.
Read now: Viking Therapeutics' promising weight-loss drug data makes the company a takeover target
GLP-1 refers to a new class of drugs used for diabetes and weight loss that has become very popular and has led to shortages. GLP stands for glucagon-like peptide. The medications work by mimicking the effect of GLP-1, a gut hormone that can help control blood sugar levels and reduce appetite.
These drugs are expected to grow to reach 24 million people, or roughly 7% of the total US population, in the next decade, according to a Morgan Stanley note from last year.
Read now: As Ozempic/Wegovy craze continues, Morgan Stanley raises forecast for weight-loss drug to $77 billion
Shares of dialysis services companies rose early Tuesday, DaVita Inc., DVA,
Shares of the German company Fresenius AG FMS rose by 6.4%.
rose by 9%.
boston scientific corp bsx,
Which makes medical devices for kidney problems, rose 0.2%.
US-listed Novo Nordisk shares fell 0.9%.
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