HomeBusinessNovo Nordisk's diabetes pill...

Novo Nordisk’s diabetes pill Rybelsus slashes cardiovascular risk

Novo Nordisk on Saturday said its diabetes pill Rybelsus showed cardiovascular benefits in a late-stage trial, paving the way for it to become a new treatment option for people living with diabetes and heart disease. 

The pill lowered the risk of cardiovascular-related death, heart attack and stroke by 14% compared to a placebo after four years on average in patients with diabetes and established heart disease, with or without chronic kidney disease. The Danish drugmaker presented the results on Rybelsus, which is already approved for Type 2 diabetes, at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in Chicago.  

Novo Nordisk has already applied in the U.S. and EU to expand the pill’s approval to include lowering the risk of serious cardiovascular complications, Stephen Gough, the company’s global chief medical officer, said in an interview.

Rybelsus is the once-daily oral formulation of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes injection Ozempic, which is taken once a week. Both treatments, as well as the company’s weekly weight loss injection Wegovy, contain the active ingredient semaglutide.

Wegovy in March 2024 won U.S. approval for slashing the risk of major cardiovascular events in adults with cardiovascular disease and who are obese or overweight. But the pill data presented on Saturday suggests that patients who are hesitant to take injections, such as those who are afraid of needles, could soon access treatment in a more convenient way. 

“We know not everybody wants an injection, whether it is painful or not, they want the option of an oral medication,” Gough told CNBC. “We provide that option, that you can have one or the other, depending on what the patients and the healthcare professional think is right in that joint discussion.”

The data comes as a slate of other drugmakers, including Eli Lilly, work to develop oral GLP-1s for diabetes, weight loss and other conditions, such as sleep apnea.

The phase three trial examined just over 9,600 patients 50 years and older who received either Rybelsus or placebo, both on top of their standard treatment regimen, for an average of just under four years. Nearly half of all patients received medications called SGLT2 inhibitors, which are primarily used to lower blood sugar in adults with Type 2 diabetes, at some point during the trial. 

By the end of the trial, 12% of people taking Rybelsus and 13.8% of those taking placebo experienced cardiovascular-related death, heart attack or stroke. That represents a 14% overall lower risk among those who took Rybelsus. 

Researchers said that the reduced risk is in line with the cardiovascular benefits observed in eight previous trials involving injectable GLP-1s, which include semaglutide and other popular medications, according to a release from the American College of Cardiology. GLP-1s mimic certain gut hormones to tamp down appetite and regulate blood sugar, but also have other effects such as reducing inflammation. 

Rybelsus helped lower the risk of non-fatal heart attacks by 26% compared to the placebo, which was “the primary driver” of the overall reduction of risk for cardiovascular complications in the trial, the release said. The pill also slashed the risk of non-fatal strokes by 12% and cardiovascular-related death by 7% compared to placebo. 

There was no significant difference between the Rybelsus and placebo groups in outcomes related to kidney function, the release added. But the trial was “clearly” designed to examine the cardiovascular rather than kidney benefits of the pill, Gough said. 

Ozempic is already approved to treat chronic kidney disease in diabetes patients. 

The most common side effects reported in the study were gastrointestinal issues, such as nausea, diarrhea and constipation, which rarely led patients to stop taking Rybelsus, according to the release. Those symptoms are consistent with the side effects of injectable semaglutide. 

Similar results were seen across all subgroups of patients – by age, sex and among people with different health conditions at the start of the trial, the release said. 

Unlike its injectable counterparts, Rybelsus must be taken on an empty stomach at least 30 minutes before breakfast with a small amount of water. Despite those requirements, the study offers “reassurance that patients were able to take the drug as directed and reap cardiovascular health benefits from it,” said Dr. Darren McGuire, professor of medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the study’s first author. 

Source link

Most Popular

More from Author

Read Now

Terry Dubrow gets candid about his kid’s plastic surgery

Terry Dubrow, an American plastic surgeon and TV personality, recently opened up about his children getting plastic surgery.In an...

John Lewis beats M&S and Ocado to be top of the shops for customer satisfaction

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines...

Is Forgetfulness Disrupting Your Daily Life? Here’s How To Tackle It | Health and Fitness News

Last Updated:July 09, 2025, 16:42 ISTWhile forgetfulness may raise concerns about serious conditions, it is important to make simple behavioural and lifestyle changes before resorting to heavy medication.Stress and anxiety weaken brain function and memory retention.Memory lapses can be frustrating, and sometimes even alarming. When forgetfulness becomes...

China’s emissions may be falling

Tony HanGlobal China UnitGetty ImagesAs the world races to cut carbon emissions in the fight against climate change, a potentially game-changing milestone may have been reached.China - currently responsible for some 30% of global emissions - saw its emissions decline in the 12 months up to May...

Top 10 busiest airports in the world: Delhi’s IGI airport ranks 9th; check list

New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) has been ranked the ninth busiest airport in the world, handling more than 7.78 crore passengers in 2024, according to a report released by Airports Council International (ACI) on Tuesday.This marks an improvement from last year, when the...

How I almost fell for a Microsoft 365 Calendar invite scam

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! There’s a new phishing scam that’s sneaking past inbox filters in unexpected ways. Instead of sending suspicious links or obvious malware, this one uses something most people trust: calendar invites. Microsoft 365 and Outlook users are being...

Sean “Diddy” Combs gets standing ovation in prison after court victory, his lawyer says

Sean "Diddy" Combs got a standing ovation from fellow inmates when the music mogul returned to jail after being acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering in his federal trial in New York, providing what his lawyer says might have been the best thing...

Trump threatens extra 10% tariff on nations that side with Brics

Osmond Chia & Dearbail JordanBusiness reporters, BBC NewsReporting fromSingapore & London Getty ImagesUS President Donald Trump has warned that countries which side with the policies of the Brics alliance that go against US interests will be hit with an extra 10% tariff."Any country aligning themselves with the...

‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ | Anatomy of a Scene

“Hi, My name is Gareth Edwards and I am the director of “Jurassic World Rebirth.” So right now we’re with a family who have kind of been shipwrecked on this island with our team of experts. and essentially trying to get across the island to get rescued,...