Recent clinical trial results from Novo Nordisk’s ZEUS study showed that the monoclonal antibody ziltivekimab reduced levels of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6, or IL-6. However, this reduction did not lead to fewer heart attacks, strokes, or deaths in patients compared to those taking a placebo.
Following the disappointing results, Novo halted two additional trials of ziltivekimab, named HERMES and ATHENA, after a data monitoring committee found they were unlikely to succeed. The ZEUS results were presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Despite the failure of ziltivekimab, cardiologists indicate they will continue to pursue anti-inflammatory treatments for cardiovascular diseases.
Source: statnews.com · Image: ISS Integrated Cardiovascular Investigation by NASA/JSC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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