aprott New peer-reviewed data published on Friday indicated that Novo Nordisk’s ( NVO ) GLP-1 agonist semaglutide, marketed as Wegovy for weight loss, reduced the risk of death by 20% in a study for patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. In October, the Danish drugmaker announced an early end to the trial named FLOW after an interim analysis showed early signs of success with semaglutide 1.0 mg.
In reaction, shares of dialysis-related companies, including Fresenius ( FMS ), DaVita ( DVA ), Outset Medical ( OM ), and Baxter International ( BAX ), tumbled. In March, the company released more data from the study indicating that semaglutide 1.0 mg given as a weekly injectable with the standard of care achieved the study’s primary endpoint, leading to a 24% reduction in the risk of kidney disease-related events.
Novo’s ( NVO ) rival in the weight loss space, Eli Lilly ( LLY ), whose obesity therapy tirzepatide is also undergoing studies for kidney-related ailments, trended lower after the announcement. The latest readout published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a meeting of the European Renal Association on Friday included additional data from the FLOW trial, which enrolled over 3,500 patients. Highlights of the findings indicated that about 50% of patients who received semaglutide witnessed serious adverse events, compared to ~54% of those who received a placebo.
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