
Novo’s Ziltivekimab hits new headwinds as Hermes and Athena are scrapped
Novo Nordisk has scrapped two Phase 3 trials of the IL-6 blocker ziltivekimab (Hermes and Athena) in heart failure with mildly reduced/preserved ejection fraction after a data-monitoring committee signaled a low chance of a different outcome, following Zeus’s failure in ASCVD/CKD/inflammation. Artemis remains ongoing with a readout planned for the first half of next year; another setback could wipe out Novo’s hope of expanding beyond obesity and diabetes.













