Novo Nordisk has officially pulled the plug on ocedurenone, a promising kidney disease drug acquired for $1.3 billion from KBP Biosciences, following disappointing results in a phase 3 trial. The Danish pharmaceutical giant initially hoped ocedurenone, a nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, could compete with Bayer’s chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment, Kerendia.
However, those aspirations unraveled in July when an interim analysis of a phase 3 trial targeting patients with hypertension and advanced CKD showed the drug failed to meet its primary endpoint, which aimed to significantly reduce systolic blood pressure. In response, Novo Nordisk halted the study, leading to an impairment loss of $816.5 million—a substantial financial setback.
Following the trial’s failure, Novo Nordisk initially considered repurposing ocedurenone for other therapeutic areas, hinting at potential future phase 3 trials in various cardiovascular and kidney conditions. However, after a thorough review of the trial’s data, the company has now opted to discontinue the program entirely, as confirmed in its third-quarter earnings report.
With ocedurenone off the table, Novo’s only remaining CKD program centers on semaglutide, the key ingredient in its popular medications Rybelsus, Ozempic, and Wegovy. Semaglutide recently achieved phase 3 success, showing a reduction in kidney disease progression among patients with Type 2 diabetes, keeping the company’s hopes for a breakthrough in kidney treatment alive.
