Novo Nordisk Defends Semaglutide Alzheimer’s Trials After Studies Miss Goals

A Novo Nordisk executive outlined the scientific rationale behind testing Semaglutide in Alzheimer’s disease at a meeting on Tuesday.
In this photo illustration, the logo of Novo Nordisk is displayed on a smartphone screen on September 10, 2025 in Chongqing, China.
In this photo illustration, the logo of Novo Nordisk is displayed on a smartphone screen on September 10, 2025 in Chongqing, China. (Photo by Li Hongbo/VCG via Getty Images)
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Deepti Sri·Stocktwits
Published Dec 02, 2025   |   4:11 PM EST
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Novo Nordisk (NVO) reportedly defended its decision to test Semaglutide, its GLP-1 therapy, in Alzheimer’s disease on Tuesday, saying it launched pivotal trials in 2020 based on evidence from human studies, animal research and real-world findings. 

Speaking at the Clinical Trials in Alzheimer’s Disease meeting in San Diego, Peter Johannsen, Novo’s international medical vice president, acknowledged criticism that the studies had design flaws, according to a Reuters report.

He supposedly said the lack of statistically significant slowing of cognitive decline did not change the rationale for conducting them, calling it “a scientific question that needed an answer.”

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