Novartis and Novo Nordisk setbacks could stall Lp(a) heart drug race
Novartis announced that its Lp(a)-lowering therapy pelacarsen failed in a seven-year trial, raising concerns for the broader cardiovascular drug sector.
The Swiss firm disclosed that pelacarsen, designed to cut lipoprotein a and reduce heart attacks and strokes, did not meet its primary endpoints in a long-running study. Around one-fifth of the population carries high Lp(a) levels, making the target attractive to many companies. Novo Nordisk has also reported a failure in a similar Lp(a) program, intensifying worries that the field’s heavy investment may not yield viable treatments soon.
Why it matters
The failures may delay new treatments for a common heart-risk factor and affect billions invested in similar drug programs.
In this story
pelacarsenlipoprotein acardiovascular drugclinical trial failurepharmaceutical investment
