Source: Finance Association
① Semaglutide (semaglutide) has made positive progress in treating kidney disease and can reduce the risk associated with kidney disease by 24%; ② Analysts believe it will reduce the risk associated with kidney disease by 24%, which is slightly lower than some investors' expectations.
On Tuesday local time, the manufacturer of “magic medicine for weight loss”$Novo-Nordisk A/S (NVO.US)$It was announced that in a late-stage trial, its widely used semaglutide (semaglutide) made positive progress in treating kidney disease, reducing the risk associated with kidney disease by 24%.
The drug used in this test, called FLOW, is ozempic, which is mainly suitable for symptoms of diabetes. Its active ingredient is simeglutide. Due to the shortage of the diet drug Wegovy, some obese patients are also using Ozempic for weight loss.
According to Novo Nordisk, about 40% of people with type 2 diabetes have chronic kidney disease, and around 700 million patients worldwide are affected. What is even more worrisome is that diabetes-related chronic kidney disease is also gradually becoming the most important cause of end-stage kidney disease, seriously affecting the prognosis and quality of life of patients.
The above trial is a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial. It was launched in 2019 and has been conducted at more than 400 research sites in 28 countries. A total of 3,534 patients with type 2 diabetes and moderate to severe chronic kidney disease have participated. In addition to standard treatment, they were treated with 1 mg of simeglutide each week.
Novo Nordisk stopped testing in October of last year, almost a year ahead of schedule, because judging from the mid-term analysis, it is clear that this treatment has reached the intended target.
The company announced on Tuesday that compared to the placebo group, patients with type 2 diabetes treated with simeglutide (1.0 mg) reduced the risk of kidney failure and progression and death from chronic kidney disease by 24%, and the trial had achieved its goal.
However, Novo Nordisk's stock price fell 2.5% in the intraday period. The day before, the company's stock price reached a record high, rising more than 20% during the year.
Analysts at the Bank of Sydney and Jefferies believe reducing the risk associated with kidney disease by 24% is slightly lower than some investors' expectations.
Martin Holst Lange, head of development at Novo Nordisk, said: “The positive results of FLOW suggest that simeglutide has the potential to become the first GLP-1 drug of choice for patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.”
The Danish pharmacist plans to apply to US and EU regulators for approval to expand Ozempic's indications in 2024. According to reports, Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy are very beneficial in treating heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular diseases, and are also effective in treating symptoms such as addiction and dementia.
Shares of dialysis companies DaVita and Fresenius Medical plummeted last year after Novo announced the success of early trials. For decades, the dialysis market has been sustained by high rates of obesity and diabetes, two diseases that cause kidney damage. Shares of DaVita and Fresenius Medical rose 6.5% and 12%, respectively, in Tuesday's intraday session.
Fresenius Medical previously stated that the reduced risk of death in patients with chronic kidney disease may cause more patients to survive to the stage where they need dialysis.
editor/tolk