On January 28, 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Ozempic® (semaglutide – Novo Nordisk) as a treatment for adults with type two diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) to reduce the risk of:
- Worsening kidney disease
- Kidney failure
- Death due to cardiovascular disease
About 37 million Americans with type two diabetes also have CKD. Studies showed that when added to the standard of care, Ozempic 1 mg demonstrated a 24% risk reduction of kidney disease worsening, kidney failure and death due to cardiovascular disease compared to a placebo.
Recommended dosing for new patients begins at 0.25 mg once a week for four weeks and then increases to 0.5 mg for at least four weeks. If blood sugar control is still inadequate, doses can be raised to 1 mg for four weeks or longer, and then to 2 mg, if necessary
This latest FDA action adds to the January 2020 approval for the use of Ozempic to decrease the chances of heart attack, strokes, other adverse cardiovascular (CV) events, and death for adults who have both type 2 diabetes and CV disease.
Ozempic, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog, was initially FDA approved in 2017 to treat adults with type 2 diabetes. Along with diet and exercise, the medication is indicated to lower blood glucose levels through several pathways, including slowing glucose absorption after meals, decreasing glucagon production and promoting insulin secretion from the pancreas.
MyMatrixx Actions
MyMatrixx is dedicated to helping our clients monitor and manage the cost and utilization of injury-related medications and the medications that may aid in an injured worker’s overall recovery. We will continue to evaluate the claim-related uses for Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists/GIP dual agonists to determine if they are an appropriate addition to our formularies. If you have any questions, please reach out to your MyMatrixx account team.