Novo Nordisk Drops Ocedurenone After Trial Failure and Financial Losses

In a third-quarter earnings report, Novo Nordisk revealed that it will terminate development of ocedurenone, a nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist intended to treat hypertension in chronic kidney disease.

The company halted the phase 3 CLARION-CKD trial of ocedurenone after an interim analysis in June found that the trial had missed its primary endpoint of causing a significant change in systolic blood pressure. Further analysis of detailed trial data led to the decision to end further development of the drug.

While Novo Nordisk reported that its operating profit increased by 21% in Danish kroner and by 22% at constant exchange rates (CER) to DKK 91.6 billion, that number was affected by an impairment loss of DKK 5.7 billion (~$821 million) related to ocedurenone.

Novo Nordisk purchased ocedurenone from KBP Biosciences for $1.3 billion in 2023.