Expanded Ozempic approval in the U.S. could transform how doctors treat patients with chronic kidney disease, which involves a gradual loss of kidney function.

The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Ozempic to reduce the risk of serious complications in people who have both type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Ozempic, or semaglutide, can now be used to reduce the risk of worsening kidney disease or kidney failure in adults with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, Novo Nordisk said.

Novo Nordisk A/S’s blockbuster Ozempic won US approval to treat chronic kidney disease in patients who also have type 2 diabetes, further expanding the popular drug’s use.

A handout photo shows a nine-month supply of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic which was purchased by an individual from online pharmacies in the UK for "off-label" use for weight loss and stored in his refrigerator at home in London,

The U.S. FDA has approved Novo Nordisk's Ozempic for reducing the risk of kidney failure and disease progression, as well as death due to heart problems in diabetes patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD),

Ozempic, the blockbuster GLP-1 drug that was originally approved to treat type 2 diabetes, has now also been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to reduce certain risks associated with chronic kidney disease,