Novo's Ziltivekimab Fails ZEUS, but Cardiologists Keep Chasing Inflammation
- Full ZEUS results were discussed at the AHA meeting. The once-monthly IL-6 antibody did not cut major cardiovascular events in patients with atherosclerotic disease, kidney disease and elevated inflammation, even though it lowered IL-6 and hsCRP as intended.
- Serious infections were more frequent on drug, Novo is taking a non-cash impairment, and the heart failure (HERMES) and post-heart-attack (ARTEMIS) trials continue, reading out in the first half of 2027.
💡 Points Based on public reports
A clean target-engagement miss is the worst case for IL-6: the biomarker moved and outcomes did not, which undercuts hsCRP as a surrogate for patient selection. Colchicine and Novartis's IL-1β precedent keep the inflammation thesis alive, but HERMES and ARTEMIS now carry the whole franchise, and an infection signal is a hard thing to net against a modest benefit.
STAT+: Despite Novo drug's failure, cardiologists say they will still pursue anti-inflammatories ↗