AstraZeneca, Ionis heart drug Wainua fails pivotal trial
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- Wainua failed to outperform placebo in a pivotal trial measuring cardiovascular death and clinical events in patients with ATTR-CM (transthyretin-mediated amyloid cardiomyopathy).
- AstraZeneca — which develops Wainua alongside Ionis — called the failure "a blow to its cardiovascular aspirations" in an ATTR-CM space it described as "an increasingly competitive target for biopharma companies."
- AstraZeneca's U.S. shares fell roughly 8% in premarket trading, while its London-listed stock dropped about 9% early Thursday after the readout.
- Ionis Pharmaceuticals shares fell 12% in premarket hours following the partner readout.
Why it matters: Wainua's pivotal-trial flop in an increasingly competitive cardiovascular space triggered 8–12% premarket selloffs, showing investors had priced in a heart-drug win AstraZeneca and Ionis couldn't deliver.
