Novo Nordisk Ends CLARION-CKD Trial of Ocedurenone

Drug maker Novo Nordisk faces an impairment loss of $818.9 million in the second quarter of 2024 after calling off a phase 3 drug trial. CLARION-CKD was investigating the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist ocedurenone for treatment of uncontrolled hypertension and advanced chronic kidney disease.

Novo Nordisk acquired ocedurenone from KBP Biosciences in October 2023 in a deal worth as much as $1.3 billion. The drug had previously undergone nine studies and met its primary end point of a statistically significant improvement in systolic blood pressure in a phase 2b trial. Yet in an interim analysis of the phase 3 trial, ocedurenone failed to meet its primary end point of a reduction in systolic blood pressure from baseline to week 12.

The impairment loss is expected to have a negative impact of about 6% on operating growth profit in 2024. Novo Nordisk is determining whether to pursue further development of ocedurenone for other indications.