Pelacarsen Cut Lp(a) but Not Cardiovascular Events — SkimNews
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- Lipoprotein(a) is a genetic risk factor for cardiovascular disease carried by 1 in 5 people; novel therapies aim to reduce associated heart attacks, strokes and deaths.
- Pelacarsen was evaluated in the Phase 3 HORIZON trial, with participants randomly assigned to the drug or placebo and followed for almost five years.
- Pelacarsen dramatically lowered Lp(a), a particle composed of lipids and proteins whose high levels can increase the risk of severe heart problems.
- HORIZON found no difference between the groups in heart attacks, strokes, urgent coronary revascularization or deaths despite the lower Lp(a) levels.
- Novartis funded the trial; fuller results were presented Saturday at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Why it matters: For Novartis, the nearly five-year HORIZON trial showed that its funded pelacarsen produced no reduction in heart attacks, strokes, urgent coronary revascularization or deaths despite dramatically lowering Lp(a). For the 1-in-5 people carrying this genetic risk factor, the study shows that biomarker reduction alone did not translate into fewer cardiovascular events.
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