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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
A promising heart drug hits a wall. Pelacarsen, developed by Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Novartis, failed to reduce major cardiovascular events in a late-stage trial despite successfully lowering lipoprotein(a) levels. The setback sent Ionis shares down 12% and rattled investors in rival Lp(a)-lowering programs, including Amgen's olpasiran and Eli Lilly's lepodisiran.
A promising heart drug hits a wall. Pelacarsen, the experimental lipoprotein(a)-lowering drug co-developed by Ionis Pharmaceuticals and Novartis, has failed its pivotal late-stage trial. Despite consistently reducing Lp(a) levels — a lipid closely linked to elevated cardiovascular risk — the drug did not reduce the risk of major cardiac events like heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular death, or urgent revascularization procedures compared to placebo.
The failure is a significant blow not just to Ionis and Novartis, but to the broader Lp(a)-lowering drug field. Pelacarsen was seen as a bellwether for the entire class, and its miss raises questions about whether lowering Lp(a) alone is sufficient to translate into real clinical benefit. Amgen shares fell 5% in aftermarket trading on the news, reflecting investor concern about its own Lp(a) drug, olpasiran, which is in late-stage development alongside Eli Lilly's lepodisiran.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: With no approved Lp(a)-lowering therapies on the market, the field was counting on pelacarsen to validate the concept. Its failure doesn't doom the class outright, but it raises the stakes considerably for Amgen and Lilly as they advance their own candidates.
