Novartis heart drug cut Lp(a) 78% but failed in 8,350-patient trial
Why it matters: The setback undercuts a long-running theory for treating inherited heart risk tied to lipoprotein(a).
An experimental Novartis drug once seen as a potential breakthrough against heart attacks and strokes failed a pivotal study, even after sharply lowering lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a blood particle linked to cardiovascular risk. Researchers tested pelacarsen in 8,350 adults with existing heart disease and found the drug reduced Lp(a) by about 78%, but after five years it did not prevent cardiovascular complications compared with a placebo. Steven Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic presented the results Saturday at an American Heart Association meeting in Chicago, and fuller findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and NEJM Evidence. The result is a blow to efforts to treat patients whose heart risk persists despite controlling cholesterol and blood pressure.