Overview

• Health Canada said the Aug. 13 authorization covers reducing sustained eGFR decline, end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular death in adults with Type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
• The FLOW trial randomized 3,533 participants across 28 countries and followed them for about 3.4 years, with semaglutide outperforming placebo on kidney failure, large declines in kidney function and deaths from kidney-related or cardiovascular causes.
• Researchers reported fewer cardiovascular deaths among those on semaglutide, and the Novo Nordisk–funded study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
• Clinicians describe Ozempic as the first GLP-1 therapy in Canada cleared to protect both kidneys and the heart in this patient group.
• Doctors note mostly gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, with rarer risks including gallbladder inflammation and pancreatitis.