An anti-inflammatory drug from Novo Nordisk unexpectedly failed in a Phase 3 study that aimed to prove a link between cardiovascular inflammation and heart disease.

Ziltivekimab's failure in a key trial spurred share sell-offs for Novo and other biotechs, as it suggested trouble for different cardiovascular drugs that also target inflammation.

The experimental medicine ziltivekimab didn't translate into a statistically meaningful reduction in major cardiovascular adverse events, Novo said Friday.