The results from two Phase III trials announced this week show Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 agonist drug semaglutide, approved at different doses to treat both obesity and type 2 diabetes, is not effective at reducing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

The Evoke and Evoke+ trials both failed to meet their primary endpoints, a significant change in the Clinical Dementia Rating–Sum of Boxes (CDR–SB) score after two years of treatment. The CDR-SB is a composite score of different early Alzheimer’s symptoms like memory and ability to perform daily tasks.

The Danish big pharma will now discontinue development of semaglutide for this indication. This echoes similar results seen last year for liraglutide, an older GLP-1 agonist also developed by Novo Nordisk.

Although GLP-1 receptor agonists were fi

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