Ozempic cuts risk of death from kidney disease, major study finds

The active compound in the best-selling drug Ozempic markedly lowers the risk of complications from chronic kidney disease, according to a multiyear study published Friday — a finding that could dramatically expand the pool of patients eligible for the injections.

Funded by Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk and involving 3,533 patients around the world, a study released in Stockholm at the European Renal Association meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that patients receiving semaglutide — the key ingredient — experienced a 24 percent reduction in risk of death from cardiovascular and kidney disease compared with those who received a placebo. The finding proved so striking that the company announced in October that it was stopping the trial early, sending shares of some dialysis companies falling then.