NOVO.B-CSE: Quenching Severe Cardiac Inflammation in ZEUS (Ziltivekimab in ASCVD + CKD) Could Kick Off the Next Wave of Innovation in Cardiovascular Disease

Research evidence excerpt

NOVO.B-CSE: Quenching Severe Cardiac Inflammation in ZEUS (Ziltivekimab in ASCVD + CKD) Could Kick Off the Next Wave of Innovation in Cardiovascular Disease

June 25, 2026

Seamus Fernandez seamus.fernandez@guggenheimpartners.com NOVO.B-CSE: Quenching Severe Cardiac

617 859 4637 Inflammation in ZEUS (Ziltivekimab in ASCVD +

Debjit Chattopadhyay, Ph.D.

debjit.chattopadhyay@guggenheimpartners.com CKD) Could Kick Off the Next Wave of Innovation in

212 823 6584 Cardiovascular Disease Yatin Suneja

yatin.suneja@guggenheimpartners.com

212 518 9565 Key Message: Ahead of NOVO.B-CSE's upcoming ZEUS readout and the increased

Alana Lelo, Ph.D. activity targeting cardiac/metabolic inflammation and the inflammasome, we are kicking

alana.lelo@guggenheimpartners.com off a report series that will introduce the ZEUS study, assess the PoS based on a statistical

212 518 9955 analysis, and discuss potential readthrough to NLRP3 inhibitors and other inflammasome

targeting agents. Ziltivekimab is the only IL-6 pathway agent in dedicated, late-stage Evan Wang

evan.wang@guggenheimpartners.com CV outcomes development, with three Phase 3 trials underway (ZEUS in ASCVD+CKD,

212 651 9756 ARTEMIS post-MI, HERMES in HFpEF). ZEUS, expected to read out in 3Q26, will

be the definitive test of whether selective IL-6 ligand blockade translates the post- Colleen Garvey, Ph.D.

colleen.garvey@guggenheimpartners.com CANTOS inflammation hypothesis into a registrational MACE benefit. Below, we review

617 859 4664 the rationale for targeting IL-6 in CVD, highlight recent developments in the IL-6 space,

how studies like NOVN-SWX's CANTOS and Corvidia/NOVO.B-CSE's Ph 2 RESCUE

Zach Dunn, Ph.D. study support this therapeutic strategy, and introduce the ZEUS study with respect to its zach.dunn@guggenheimpartners.com