LONDON, May 25 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk's

Wegovy obesity drug reduced adverse kidney-related events by 22%

in overweight and obese people in a large study, according to a

new analysis the Danish drugmaker published on Saturday.

The analysis, from a large study for which substantial

results had been released by Novo last year, was presented at

the European Renal Congress in Stockholm.

"By addressing key markers of kidney health,

semaglutide...may contribute to a significant reduction in the

risk of kidney-related complications, including chronic kidney

disease and end-stage renal disease," said Professor Helen M.

Colhoun of the University of Edinburgh and lead study author.

A Novo spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters that the

new analysis "demonstrates for the first time the benefits of

semaglutide 2.4 mg in improving kidney function in people with

cardiovascular disease and overweight or obesity, without

diabetes, a high-risk population with increased need for kidney

protection."

The study follows the publication in March of a Novo study

showing its diabetes drug Ozempic delayed progression of chronic

kidney disease in diabetes patients. Ozempic contains the same

active ingredient, semaglutide, as Wegovy, which is approved as

an obesity treatment.

The latest data adds to growing body of medical evidence

that drugs from the GLP-1 class, which suppress appetite by

mimicking gut hormones, have medical benefits for conditions

beyond type 2 diabetes and weight loss, their initial purposes.

In the new analysis, semaglutide led to a slower decline in

a certain measure of kidney function known as eGFR (estimated

glomerular filtration rate), particularly in individuals with a

pre-existing kidney impairment.

There was also a significant reduction in the urinary

albumin-to-creatine ratio (UACR), another important marker of

kidney health, the analysis found.

Regardless of kidney function at the start of the study, "no

increased risk of acute kidney injury was associated with

semaglutide", it found.

The analysis examined data from a large trial by Novo

Nordisk called Select. Initial results from that were published

in August.

The 17,604-patient trial tested Wegovy not for weight loss

or kidney function but for its heart protective benefits for

overweight and obese patients who had preexisting heart disease

but not diabetes.

The analysis published on Saturday comes a day after Novo

presented detailed results of a separate late-stage trial

showing its diabetes drug Ozempic slowed the worsening of kidney

dysfunction in patients with type 2 diabetes and lowered the

risk of kidney failure, heart problems, stroke and death.