Novo Nordisk Halts Two More Ziltivekimab Heart-Failure Trials After Monitoring Committee Signals Futility
核心洞察
Novo Nordisk has halted two additional heart-failure trials of its experimental cardiovascular drug ziltivekimab, ending them ahead of schedule.
An independent data monitoring committee found a low likelihood the two studies would differ from a prior late-stage trial in which ziltivekimab failed to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (搜索).
One ziltivekimab study continues in patients recovering from a heart attack, with results expected in the first half of 2027.
Novo Nordisk has stopped two additional trials of ziltivekimab, its experimental cardiovascular drug, after an independent data monitoring committee concluded the studies were unlikely to deliver a result different from an earlier late-stage failure, Reuters reported on September 7, 2026.
The two halted studies were being run in heart failure (搜索). The monitoring committee found a "low likelihood" that either would produce a different outcome from the earlier trial, prompting Novo Nordisk to end them ahead of schedule. The company disclosed in July that ziltivekimab had failed to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (搜索) in that late-stage study.
One Cardiovascular Study Continues
Novo Nordisk will continue testing ziltivekimab in patients recovering from a heart attack, with results expected in the first half of 2027. That study is now the company's remaining opportunity to generate value from the cardiovascular program, which sits outside its obesity and diabetes franchise.
The company has framed the discontinuations as a capital decision. By ending trials with limited prospects, Novo Nordisk can redirect resources toward programs with higher potential, according to the report.
Pipeline Narrowing Sharpens Reliance on Obesity Franchise
The two terminations further weaken Novo Nordisk's effort to build a growth franchise beyond obesity and diabetes. The company has now reported one ziltivekimab failure in July and stopped two more heart-failure trials after a similarly negative assessment from the monitoring committee, leaving fewer opportunities to establish a major new therapeutic area.
That leaves Novo Nordisk more dependent on its core obesity and diabetes business, where Eli Lilly is challenging it in the GLP-1 market. The oral Wegovy pill has generated more than 2 million prescriptions shortly after its January 2026 launch, giving Novo Nordisk a growth opportunity as the two companies compete in the oral GLP-1 segment.
The remaining ziltivekimab trial carries its own risk. If the heart-attack study fails, Novo Nordisk would lose another potential route to diversify revenue beyond obesity and diabetes, leaving fewer pipeline catalysts to offset competitive pressure in its core market.