Following Novartis, Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) terminates two cardiovascular clinical trials.

Zhitong Finance APP has learned that Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) has terminated two additional clinical trials of its experimental cardiovascular drug.

Earlier this year, Novo Nordisk stated that Ziltivekimab failed to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke, which dampened market expectations for its other ongoing clinical studies. The Danish pharmaceutical company announced on Monday that it has halted two trials evaluating whether Ziltivekimab could benefit patients with heart failure, with each trial targeting different therapeutic outcomes.

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson stated that the data monitoring committee found that, compared to the previous failed trial results, the likelihood of these two trials producing different outcomes is extremely low.

The spokesperson added that Novo Nordisk will continue with another separate study to evaluate the potential efficacy of Ziltivekimab after myocardial infarction.

Previously, Novartis (NVS.US) also reported that its experimental cardiac drug failed to help reduce fatalities, myocardial infarctions, and stroke events, raising questions about the underlying theoretical mechanisms supporting its drug development. Within one week, the company saw a second high-profile candidate drug fall short in late-stage research. This setback involved its potential star cardiac drug pelacarsen.

The significance of these two failures by Novartis goes beyond a single drug. Novartis had previously positioned both pelacarsen and rapcabtagene autoleucel (rap-cel for short) as potential breakthroughs that could reshape their respective therapeutic fields—the former targeting genetic cardiovascular risks that were previously untreatable, and the latter expanding CAR-T cell therapy into the realm of autoimmune diseases.