Experimental heart drug pelacarsen fails to reduce deaths in major trial
The drug cut a blood particle linked to heart attacks by about 78%, but that did not translate into fewer cardiovascular complications.
An experimental drug that doctors had hoped would advance the prevention of heart attacks and strokes failed a key test, researchers reported. The study was led by cardiologist Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic, who presented details at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago.
The study enrolled 8,350 adults who already had heart disease and gave them either a placebo or pelacarsen, a drug that lowers lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a cholesterol-carrying protein linked to heart risk. The drug reduced Lp(a) levels by about 78%, but after five years that drop did not prevent cardiovascular complications. Nissen said he was shocked by the result.
Drugmaker Novartis, which sponsored the study, had said last month that the results did not meet its goals. The company said the study still provides meaningful evidence about Lp(a) and heart disease. Nissen estimated that about 20% of the global population has elevated Lp(a) levels, roughly a billion people.
Key points
- Pelacarsen cut Lp(a) levels by about 78% but did not reduce heart attacks or strokes in 8,350 adults over five years.
- Novartis sponsored the trial and had announced last month that it missed its goals.
- Lp(a) affects an estimated billion people worldwide.
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Summarized with AI from the sources above and reviewed before publishing.
