The Heart Drug Pelacarsen Fails, Shocking Novartis and Cardiologists
New York Times · LC · trust 46/100
Doctors were hopeful the drug, which was being tested in a large clinical trial by Novartis, was going to be a powerful new tool to fight heart disease.
Listen · 4:46 min Share full article An illustration of lipoprotein(a), a low-density lipoprotein. Every study short of a randomized clinical trial had indicated that the drug would lower Lp(a) and help protect people from heart disease. Credit... Juan Gaertner/Science Source By Gina Kolata
Novartis announced on Friday that its experimental drug, pelacarsen, widely assumed to be the vanguard of a new era in preventing heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths, had failed .
The announcement gave no further details, but it came as a shock to the field of cardiology.
“Oh no — oh no,” said Dr. David Maron, president of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology. “This is a huge blow. I hardly know what to say.”
Dr. Harlan Krumholz, a Yale cardiologist, exclaimed: “This is extremely disappointing news. We’ve all been looking forward to celebrating.”
The drug blocks a protein called lipoprotein (a) that is a powerful risk factor for heart disease. Every study short of a randomized clinical trial indicated that lowering Lp(a) would protect people from developing the disease.
Cardiologists widely expected that Lp(a) drugs would be the missing link in attempts to prevent heart attacks that can occur in people who do everything right — keep their cholesterol levels and blood pressure down, don’t smoke, exercise and do not have obesity. Doctors held high hopes that the drugs could be as important as statins.
“How much money has Novartis spent in the last two years promoting Lp(a) every which way?” Dr. Krumholz said after expressing his complete disbelief.
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