Novo Nordisk's Mixed Week: Ziltivekimab Misses ZEUS Endpoint as Semaglutide Shines in MASH Data
Published on 11/12/2026 at 03:50 | Editorial boerse-global.de
Novo Nordisk has run into a setback in cardiovascular research. As Reuters reported on 7 November, the anti-inflammatory drug ziltivekimab failed to prevent major adverse cardiovascular events in the ZEUS trial. The miss lands squarely on the company's effort to broaden its cardiovascular franchise beyond the GLP-1 portfolio that has driven its recent growth.
That same week brought a separate regulatory development. Reuters reported that the US Food and Drug Administration has required manufacturers of GLP-1 receptor agonists, Novo Nordisk among them, to add supplementary warnings to prescribing information flagging a possibly elevated risk of NAION — a rare eye condition that can cause loss of vision. For Novo Nordisk, the labeling change covers Ozempic and Wegovy, with the information to be placed in the warnings and precautions section of the product label.
Liver Data Point to a Broader Role for Semaglutide
On the clinical side, Novo Nordisk presented real-world study results on treating MASH with semaglutide at the AASLD Liver Meeting on Friday. One of the analyses compared the treatment against resmetirom. According to the company, semaglutide at a 2.4 milligram dose was associated with an average weight loss of 8.6 kilograms after six months — roughly 8%.
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A separate set of real-world findings, disclosed on 6 November, linked Wegovy at the same 2.4 mg dose in adults with MASH to lower liver enzyme levels, along with associations to reduced weight and blood sugar. Those results were also presented at the AASLD meeting. Both sets of data address treatment aspects distinct from the prevention of major cardiovascular events that the ZEUS trial was designed to test.
Guidance Raised on GLP-1 Momentum
The clinical news arrives against a stronger financial backdrop. Roughly a week ago, Novo Nordisk lifted its full-year 2026 outlook for adjusted sales and adjusted operating profit, now projecting a range from a 2% decline to 2% growth at constant exchange rates. The prior guidance had pointed to flat development down to a 6% decrease.
Third-quarter 2026 figures showed adjusted sales up 4% at constant currencies, while adjusted operating profit climbed 27% to DKK 31.7 billion on the same basis. Novo Nordisk attributed the raised forecast to continued momentum in its GLP-1 business.
$200 Million Pledged to Diabetes Care
Alongside its commercial update, the company committed USD 200 million to the World Diabetes Foundation. The funding covers the 2027–2036 period and is intended to support diabetes prevention and care in low- and middle-income countries.
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