Novo Nordisk has ended two additional late-stage studies of ziltivekimab, its IL-6 inhibitor, after a data monitoring committee concluded the trials were unlikely to succeed. The early termination further narrows the company’s clinical path for IL-6-directed therapeutics in cardiovascular disease. The decision affects programs being run in patient populations where IL-6 biology is being tested as a driver of disease progression. The end-of-work updates add to an ongoing reassessment of which inflammatory signaling targets are likely to translate in hard clinical endpoints. For biotech stakeholders, the development underscores the trial-risk profile for cytokine-modulating agents at scale and the speed at which companies are now pruning late-stage cardiovascular programs.