Peptide News Digest

#Ckd

2 stories

Clinical Trials · View digest

Novo Nordisk Ziltivekimab ZEUS Phase 3 Fails to Reduce Cardiovascular Events in ASCVD Plus CKD Population; Shares Fall More Than 9%

Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO) announced at ESC Congress 2026 that its Phase 3 ZEUS trial of ziltivekimab (an anti-IL-6 monoclonal antibody in development for cardiovascular risk reduction in inflammation-driven disease) failed to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) versus placebo in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and inflammation (hsCRP ≥2 mg/L). The three-component MACE primary endpoint hazard ratio was 0.99 (95% CI 0.88-1.11), despite confirmed IL-6 pathway engagement (reductions in free IL-6 and hsCRP as expected). Safety was broadly similar between arms though serious infections were more frequent on ziltivekimab (consistent with the IL-6 class). NVO shares fell more than 9% on the readout, deepening the widening H1 2026 GLP-1 revenue gap that already sat at $10.2 billion versus Eli Lilly. Novo has committed to continuing the two other cardiovascular outcomes trials (HERMES in heart failure, ARTEMIS post-acute MI) with H1 2027 readouts. The ZEUS miss casts doubt on the broader thesis of anti-inflammatory cardiovascular risk reduction via IL-6 blockade.

Research · View digest

Wilding ECO 2026 Pre-Print: Real-World GLP-1 Weight Loss Correlates With Reduced Osteoarthritis, CKD, OSA, and Heart Failure Complications

Prof. John Wilding (University of Liverpool) and colleagues will present at ECO 2026 a real-world observational study tracking obesity-linked complication rates by degree of GLP-1-driven weight loss. In the year following GLP-1 treatment initiation, 27.0% of patients had BMI reductions <5%, 22.4% had 5-<10%, 14.1% had 10-<15%, 15.8% had ≥15%, and 20.8% gained BMI. Over a mean 11-month follow-up, patients with ≥15% BMI reduction had 37% lower osteoarthritis odds, 30% lower CKD odds, 69% lower OSA odds, and 32% lower heart failure odds versus those with 0-5% reduction (all statistically significant except heart failure). Incidence per 1,000 person-years: 21.4 OA, 21.1 CKD, 20.3 OSA, 3.9 HF. The data quantifies the value of pushing for deeper weight loss rather than cruise-control dosing.