US FDA approves Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic to reduce diabetic kidney disease progression

(Reuters) -Novo Nordisk said on Tuesday the U.S. FDA has approved its blockbuster drug Ozempic to lower the risk of progression of chronic kidney disease and the organ’s failure, and death due to heart problems in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Ozempic belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists and has the same active ingredient as the company’s popular obesity drug Wegovy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval was based on data from a late-stage study, which showed that Ozempic helped cut the risk of death from chronic kidney disease and major cardiac events by 24%.

Around 40% of people with type 2 diabetes have chronic kidney disease, and affects about 37 million adults in the U.S., according to the Danish drugmaker.

(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)