Jan 28 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk said on

Tuesday the U.S. FDA has approved its blockbuster drug Ozempic

to lower the risk of progression of chronic kidney disease and

the organ's failure, and death due to heart problems in adults

with type 2 diabetes.

Ozempic belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor

agonists and has the same active ingredient as the company's

popular obesity drug Wegovy.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval was based

on data from a late-stage study, which showed that Ozempic

helped cut the risk of death from chronic kidney disease and

major cardiac events by 24%.

Around 40% of people with type 2 diabetes have chronic

kidney disease, and affects about 37 million adults in the U.S.,

according to the Danish drugmaker.