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March 30, 2020___

Today's Rundown

Featured Story

Bayer and Merck's vericiguat leads off virtual meeting with positive phase 3 heart failure data

After teasing positive top-line results last November, a deeper dive into Merck & Co. and Bayer’s heart failure drug vericiguat helped kick off this year’s scientific meeting of the American College of Cardiology, presented virtually as a late-breaking trial.

Top Stories

AstraZeneca's Farxiga shows benefit in heart failure patients regardless of prior treatment

AstraZeneca's SGLT2 diabetes med Farxiga is chugging ahead to a pioneering FDA approval in heart failure patents with or without Type 2 diabetes—a first in its class. As it awaits that nod, Farxiga has shown it can also be effective in treating heart failure patients regardless of other therapies they are receiving. 

New owner Novartis presents pooled inclisiran data cutting LDL cholesterol by half

A new, late-phase analysis of cholesterol-lowering inclisiran—a PCSK9 drug picked up by Novartis through its $9.7 billion acquisition of The Medicines Company—showed it was able to cut LDL levels by 51% after nearly a year and a half of treatment.

Medtronic's renal denervation study returns, showing drops in stubbornly high blood pressure

Medtronic is back with new data finally demonstrating the effectiveness of its catheter-based ablation procedure aimed at the kidneys to help lower high blood pressure where multiple medications have failed.

AstraZeneca's Brilinta taken solo is less risky than aspirin combo

AstraZeneca has put a lot of resources in its aging blood thinner Brilinta, hoping to keep the anticoagulant's place in doctors' minds fresh for years to come. In a suite of new data, solo Brilinta has now shown benefit in stopping bleeding over a standard-of-care combo in patients who recently received a coronary stent. 

New Amarin analysis may explain Vascepa's heart-helping success

Amarin's fish-oil derivative Vascepa scored a major FDA win in December as a heart-helping add-on to statins in patients with high triglyceride levels or established cardiovascular disease. Despite the win, researchers were unsure how to explain Vascepa's underlying CV outcomes data––but now they might have an answer. 

Regeneron’s Praluent sidekick cuts cholesterol in half—even in hard-to-treat patients

Regeneron revealed last summer that its latest cholesterol fighter, evinacumab, cut “bad” cholesterol in half for patients with a rare genetic disorder. Now, in full results presented virtually at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology (ACC), together with the World Congress of Cardiology, the drug did even better in a group of particularly hard to treat patients.

J&J, Bayer's blood thinner Xarelto scores in artery disease post-surgery

Johnson & Johnson and Bayer's legacy blood thinner Xarelto has had a tough year with competitors picking up steam and prescriptions leveling off. But in a hard-to-treat artery disease, Xarelto just posted a new trial in recent post-surgery patients. 

MyoKardia's mavacamten reduces heart stress signs in targeted biomarker study

The former Fierce 15 winner delivered new cardiac biomarker data showing its late-phase mavacamten compound can help improve signs of heart stress and injury in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Amgen's Repatha cuts cholesterol in rarely studied HIV patients

Amid Amgen's pricing war with Sanofi and Regeneron's Praluent, PCSK9 cholesterol fighter Repatha has been looking for a leg up in a wide-ranging clinical program involving dozens of trials. Now, in rarely studied HIV patients, Repatha has posted positive data in lowering cholesterol levels. 

Esperion's Nexletol busts cholesterol levels regardless of statin, ezitimibe therapy

Esperion notched major back-to-back FDA wins in February with its cholesterol-busting duo Nexletol and Nexlizet. Now, with physicians largely unfamiliar with the drugs, Esperion is hoping new clinical data will help build confidence as both prepare to hit the market. 

Edwards' TAVR safety study holds equal to open surgery after 2 years in low-risk patients

In 2019, Edwards Lifesciences presented data showing that patients undergoing less invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures performed better after one year compared to those who had open heart surgery. That study continues, and now—at the two-year mark—the data indicate that both sets of patients fare equally well when it comes to risks of stroke, hospitalization and death.

10-year coronary stent outcomes similar to bypass surgery, but less durable

In one of the longest studies to date in high-risk heart disease, researchers found no significant difference in death rates over more than 10 years—as well as in cases of heart attack or stroke—between people that had received a drug-eluting stent for their blocked coronary artery compared with those who underwent standard bypass surgery.

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