Novo Nordisk Shares Drop After Ziltivekimab Heart Drug Trial Fails
On July 31, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk (NVO) announced that its experimental heart drug Ziltivekimab failed to meet the primary goal of a large late-stage trial called ZEUS. The stock dropped sharply in response—Danish shares fell about 7.5%, and U.S.-listed shares declined by nearly 8.6%. This setback comes as Novo has been trying all year to demonstrate it can grow beyond its blockbuster weight-loss drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic. The ZEUS trial involved over 6,300 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and ongoing inflammation. While the drug successfully reduced inflammation markers by blocking IL-6 protein, it did not significantly reduce major adverse cardiovascular events like heart attacks or strokes compared to placebo (hazard ratio of 0.99). Additionally, Ziltivekimab was linked to more serious infections in patients. The failure has weakened Novo's pipeline for non-weight-loss cardiovascular drugs and raised concerns about its long-term growth strategy. Although the company said it will not change its adjusted operating profit outlook for 2026, analysts had expected this drug to become a major revenue driver.
Tickers: $NVO
Topics: heart drug failure Novo Nordisk stock drop Ziltivekimab