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,

Regulators have approved the drug as a treatment for weight loss, Type 2 diabetes and lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

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.

Ozempic’s expanded approval in the U.S. could transform how doctors treat patients with the condition, which involves a gradual loss of kidney function.

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),