Research shows Novo Nordisk (NVO.US) oral semaglutide reduces heart disease risk

Novo Nordisk's (NVO.US) oral semaglutide (Rybelsus) reduced the risk of heart attack and stroke in a large study, which could boost the drug's wider use. Novo Nordisk said on Monday that the study showed that people with type 2 diabetes who had already had a heart attack or chronic kidney disease, or who had all three diseases, had a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease when taking Rybelsus than when taking a placebo. The company said the side effects were consistent with previous studies. Novo Nordisk's drug development head Martin Holst Lange said the study results showed that Rybelsus could even help patients already on standard treatment lower their risk of heart disease. The Rybelsus study began in 2019 and involved nearly 10,000 patients, Novo Nordisk said, adding that it would seek approval for wider use of the drug from US and European regulators around the start of next year.