Unexpected Results in Heart Disease Drug Trials

Cardiologists have encountered a surprising challenge with a drug intended to prevent heart attacks. Until last Friday, there was optimism about a new method to treat heart disease. Three companies were testing drugs aimed at lowering a blood protein called Lp(a), believed to cause heart attacks and stroke.

Results from Novartis, the first company to complete its trial, revealed the drug lowers Lp(a) levels by 80 percent. However, it did not prevent heart attacks or strokes, leaving cardiologists puzzled. Dr. John Alexander, a cardiologist at Duke, expressed the confusion, saying, “There’s something we don’t understand here.”

Certain patients suffer heart attacks despite having low cholesterol, normal blood pressure, and no diabetes or obesity. These patients often have high Lp(a) levels. Approximately 20 percent of Americans exhibit elevated protein levels, and those in the highest category face up to three times the risk of heart attacks.

Despite the clear importance of Lp(a), a drug to lower it was anticipated to benefit these individuals, offering protection where other approaches failed. The unexpected trial results prompt further investigation into heart disease and its causes.