By Maggie Fick
LONDON (Reuters) – Novo Nordisk’s (NYSE:) Wegovy anti-obesity drug reduced adverse kidney-related events by 22% in overweight and obese people in a large study, according to a new analysis the Danish drugmaker published on Saturday.
The analysis, from a large study for which Novo had released substantial results last year, was presented at the European Renal Congress in Stockholm.
“By targeting key markers of kidney health, semaglutide… may contribute to a significant reduction in the risk of kidney-related complications, including chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease,” said Professor Helen M. Colhoun of the University of Edinburgh and lead author of the study.
A Novo spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters that the new analysis “demonstrates for the first time the benefits of semaglutide 2.4 mg in improving kidney function in people with cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity, without diabetes, a population at high risk with an increased need for renal protection.”
The study follows the publication in March of a Novo study that showed the diabetes drug Ozempic slowed the progression of chronic kidney disease in diabetes patients. Ozempic contains the same active ingredient, semaglutide, as Wegovy, which is approved as an obesity treatment.
The latest data adds to the growing body of medical evidence that GLP-1 class drugs, which suppress appetite by mimicking gut hormones, have medical benefits for conditions beyond type 2 diabetes and weight loss, their original purposes.
In the new analysis, semaglutide led to a slower decline in a measure of kidney function known as eGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate), especially in individuals with pre-existing renal impairment.
There was also a significant reduction in the albumin-creatine ratio (UACR), another key indicator of kidney health, the analysis showed.
Regardless of kidney function at the start of the study, “no increased risk of acute kidney injury was associated with semaglutide,” it found.
The analysis examined data from a large trial from Novo Nordisk called Select. The first results were published in August.
The study of 17,604 patients did not test Wegovy for weight loss or kidney function, but for its heart-protective benefits for overweight and obese patients who already had heart disease but not diabetes.
The analysis published Saturday comes a day after Novo presented detailed results from a separate late-stage study showing that the diabetes drug Ozempic slowed the worsening of kidney dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes and lowered the risk of kidney failure, heart problems, strokes and strokes . dead.
