Fresenius Medical: effect of drugs like Ozempic on patient numbers is neutral

Germany's Fresenius Medical Care said that use of Ozempic and other diabetes and weight-loss drugs of the same class would have an overall neutral effect on how many patients would require the company's kidney dialysis services in the future.

The company's shares, and those of its closest rival DaVita , plunged on Wednesday after Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, part of a class known as GLP-1 drugs, showed early success in a trial to treat kidney failure in diabetes patients.