# ZEUS trial of IL-6 inhibition in 6000 patients with CKD and atherosclerosis showed no benefit

- Published: 2026-11-13 12:15 UTC
- Section: Life & Health › Medicine
- Tags: ZEUS trial, IL-6 inhibitor, chronic kidney disease, vascular inflammation, atherosclerosis, hs-CRP screening, NLRP3 inhibitors, Paul Ridker, AHA Scientific Sessions, colchicine
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-01c08e21bcc8bff597759ec1_zeus_trial_of/

**Dr Paul Ridker presented neutral ZEUS results at the AHA Scientific Sessions: no benefit and little harm. He also outlined next steps for targeting inflammation.**

![ZEUS trial of IL-6 inhibition in 6000 patients with CKD and atherosclerosis showed no benefit](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/c3bd1a41f0129267.webp)
*endocrinologyadvisor.com*

Dr Paul Ridker, professor of cardiology at Harvard Medical School, discussed the neutral ZEUS trial in an interview with Dr Gregg Sherman, chief medical officer of the Haymarket Medical Education Group, published on endocrinologyadvisor.com. The results were presented in a late-breaking session at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago. The trial enrolled 6000 patients worldwide with severe atherosclerosis and significant chronic kidney disease (CKD) and tested an IL-6 inhibitor. According to Ridker, it showed no benefit and not much harm [1].

## Why ZEUS was run

Ridker said patients with CKD cannot take colchicine, so the team looked for another anti-inflammatory therapy for them [1]. Three earlier trials had been positive. CANTOS showed that IL-1 beta inhibition with canakinumab lowered cardiovascular event rates without changing LDL cholesterol. The colchicine trials LoDoCo2 and COLCOT were run in chronic stable angina [1].

For ZEUS the team chose IL-6, which lies downstream of IL-1 in the same pathway. Ridker cited genetic, animal and experimental data, as well as the availability of drugs [1].

## Interpretation and next steps

Ridker suggested the trial probably ran into non-modifiable disease. He noted that statins lose effectiveness as glomerular filtration rate falls and have not been shown to work in dialysis [1]. The positive trials enrolled typical chronic stable angina patients. Ridker proposed testing an IL-6 inhibitor in patients without heart failure and without CKD [1].

Another direction is upstream targeting of IL-1 with direct NLRP3 inhibitors. Several companies now have them, and they were not available seven years ago. Ridker said they are potentially oral small molecules that could, in theory, be inexpensive [1].

Ridker said he screens nearly all his patients for high-sensitivity CRP. The American College of Cardiology scientific statement last year called for universal screening. He cited the JUPITER trial (2008), which pointed to statin use in patients with high CRP. He also said GLP-1 agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors have anti-inflammatory properties, and that colchicine is FDA-approved for anti-inflammatory therapy [1].

He contrasted this with lipoprotein(a), where no three prior trials show that lowering it reduces risk. In inflammation, he said, such evidence already exists [1].

## Sources

1. [endocrinologyadvisor.com](https://www.thecardiologyadvisor.com/reports/paul-ridker-zeus-trial-inflammation-ckd)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-01c08e21bcc8bff597759ec1_zeus_trial_of/