Pumping Marvellous Foundation Heart Failure Brief — 14th September 2026

Ziltivekimab heart-failure studies stopped early

Novo Nordisk confirmed on 7th September 2026 that it had terminated two heart-failure studies of Ziltivekimab, an experimental monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-6 inflammation.

The decision followed the unsuccessful phase III ZEUS study in more than 6,300 people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and inflammation. Although Ziltivekimab reduced inflammatory biomarkers, it did not reduce major cardiovascular events. An independent monitoring committee subsequently judged the ongoing Heart Failure studies unlikely to produce a different result.

What is genuinely new: The HF trials have been discontinued; this is a substantive programme change, not an interpretation of preliminary findings.

Evidence strength: The decision followed a large, randomised outcomes trial and an independent futility assessment.

Limitations: Full results from the discontinued Heart Failure studies have not been published, so no conclusions can yet be drawn about particular Heart Failure phenotypes or patient subgroups. The failed ZEUS population was not exclusively people with heart failure.

Why it matters to Patients: It is an important reminder that improving a biomarker does not necessarily improve patients’ survival, hospitalisation or quality of life. Pumping Marvellous should continue pressing researchers and NHS partners to judge innovations—including diagnostic and digital technologies—against outcomes that matter to patients rather than technical performance or surrogate markers alone.