Novo Nordisk ended two additional late-stage cardiovascular outcomes trials for ziltivekimab, an IL-6 inhibitor, after a data monitoring committee concluded the studies were unlikely to succeed. The decision follows an earlier failure of the medicine in the ZEUS trial, which reduced inflammation markers without translating into fewer major clinical events. The early stoppage tightens the window for IL-6–driven cardiovascular hypothesis testing within this specific development program. For Novo, the cut reduces the pipeline surface area tied to inflammation-targeting outcomes while the company continues reassessing how such approaches map to hard endpoints. For the sector, repeated futility in outcomes trials raises pressure on cytokine-driven strategies to show mechanistic-to-clinical connectivity earlier in development.