BIOBRIEF
A third failed Phase 3 readout for drugs that target inflammation rather than cholesterol leaves Novo's post heart attack ARTEMIS trial as the remaining test of the hypothesis.
Novo Nordisk on Monday halted HERMES and ATHENA, two Phase 3 trials of its anti-inflammatory heart drug ziltivekimab, after an independent data monitoring committee concluded the studies were unlikely to succeed (STAT+, Endpoints News). Investigators were informed Friday, Sept. 4, before the public disclosure the following Monday.
Ziltivekimab is an injectable monoclonal antibody that targets IL-6, an inflammatory signaling protein, not a cholesterol-lowering drug like statins. Novo had hoped tamping down chronic inflammation would reduce heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular deaths in patients already at high risk. The drug originally came from Corvidia Therapeutics, which Novo bought in 2020 for $725 million upfront and as much as $2.1 billion in milestones (BioPharma Dive).
The stoppage is a direct sequel to the July 2026 ZEUS trial failure, when ziltivekimab lowered inflammatory markers such as IL-6 and hsCRP but did not reduce major adverse cardiovascular events (Novo Nordisk announcement). The HERMES and ATHENA monitoring committees concluded there was a low likelihood the studies would differ from that outcome (Reuters via Global Banking & Finance).
That makes three failed outcome trials in a row for the inflammation-not-cholesterol approach. The remaining test is ARTEMIS, a trial in post-heart-attack patients whose readout is expected in the first half of 2027.