Medical Trials Show Ozempic's Impact on Kidney Disease and Type 2 Diabetes

Novo Nordisk, A Pharmaceutical manufacturing company that specializes in the development of medicines related to chronic illnesses like diabetes, recently announced the efficacy of a drug called Semaglutide (Ozempic) on those who struggle with Kidney-related disorders like Type 2 Diabetes or Chronic Kidney Disease. Through medical trials known as the FLOW trials, it was found that the drug reduced the risk of greater disease progression or death by 24%.

Context: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Type 2 Diabetes

According to the National Kidney Foundation, Type 2 Diabetes is the leading cause of Kidney Disease with 40% of those with Type 2 Diabetes also having Chronic Kidney Disease. Type 2 Diabetes impacts a person's ability to regulate blood sugar levels, which can damage the kidneys. Those with Chronic Kidney disease often experience a greater risk of kidney failure, leading to the need for kidney transplants or dialysis, and a greater risk for cardiac arrest and stroke.

The National Kidney Foundation also highlights one way to test for kidney function in adults called eGFR tests, or estimated Glomerular Filtration Rates. This test measures blood Creatinine levels along with a patient's general demographic information to give an estimate of how well a persons kidney are working. A higher percentage in this test indicated better kidney function, where a percentage of below 60% for three or more months indicates Kidney Disease and a percentage below 15% indicates kidney failure. The exception to this where an eGFR rate above 60% can still indicate kidney failure is when there are large levels of the protein Albinum in a person's urine, indicating kidney damage.

FLOW Trials

The Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk ended medical trials that tested the efficacy of the drug Semaglutide (Ozempic) on those with Type 2 Diabetes and Chronic Kidney Disorder early due to results indicating there was enough evidence to draw a conclusion on if Semaglutide was effective.

According to Felice Gragnano, Vincenzo De Sio, and Paolo Calabró of the University of Campagna, Italy, published in The European Heart Journal, The FLOW trial was a randomized trial that compared 1.0mg doses of Semaglutide to a placebo drug. This trial used 3,534 patients in 418 study sites to test how Semaglutide effected the progression of Kidney Disease and mortality rates related to Kidney Disease. This came with a cumulative endpoint of:

• Kidney Failure

• Kidney or Cardiovascular Mortality

• >50% reduction in kidney function levels as demonstrated by eGFR tests

Test Results

On March 5, 2024, Novo Nordisk announced the result of this trial. They revealed that Semaglutide actually reduces the risk of Kidney Disease progression and Kidney and Cardiovascular Mortality by 24%. Ozempic is planned to be filed for brand expansion within the US and Europe some time in 2024, having massive effects on those with Kidney Disease and Type 2 Diabetes.