American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2018

VIDEO: Perspective on the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES Economic Study

VIDEO: New insights from ODYSSEY OUTCOMES

VIDEO: PCSK9 Forum Editor Professor John Chapman gives his take home messages about lipoprotein(a)

Lipoprotein(a) was a key focus. First, the 2018 US Cholesterol Guidelines incorporated elevated lipoprotein(a) as a marker of cardiovascular risk. Second, a Latebreaker session showed a favourable benefit versus risk profile for a novel antisense oligonucleotide specific to the apolipoprotein(a) component of lipoprotein(a). Now the…

VIDEO: Why we need to avoid recurrent events: Plaque biology considerations



REDUCE-IT- does the formulation matter?



REDUCE-IT take home messages



More guideline controversy



Are we ready to test the lipoprotein(a) hypothesis



Novel lipoprotein(a) antisense therapy looks good: now to test the lipoprotein(a) hypothesis

Results from a phase IIb dose-ranging study with the antisense oligonucleotide AKCEA-APO(a)-LRx provide a strong rationale for testing whether lowering lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in patients with elevated Lp(a) will translate to reduction in cardiovascular events. Background Lp(a) has seen a resurgence of interest over the last…

5-year data from OSLER-1 with evolocumab: sustained efficacy and safety

Final data from the OSLER-1 (Open-Label Study of Long-term Evaluation Against LDL-C) study, completed in June this year, show sustained and substantial reductions in LDL cholesterol over 5 years with a consistent safety profile (1). These findings extend data from FOURIER (2) and provide the…

CASCADE FH provides first US data on homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

Globally, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH, inherited high cholesterol) is under-diagnosed and under-treated. Homozygous FH is the most severe form of this disease, characterised by markedly elevated circulating levels of LDL cholesterol and accelerated, premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.  Due to the severity of the condition, early diagnosis…

ODYSSEY Alternative Extension Study: PCSK9 inhibitors well-tolerated long-term

Long-term data from the ODYSSEY Alternative Extension study show that patients previously identified as statin intolerant were able to tolerate alirocumab treatment over the longer-term (up to 3 years). Rates of discontinuation due to skeletal muscle events were lower during open-label treatment than during the…

AHA 2018 ODYSSEY Alternative Extension Trial



VIDEO: AHA 18 ODYSSEY OUTCOMES Take Home Messages from Total Events Analysis



AHA 2018 ODYSSEY OUTCOMES Total Events Analysis



News from ODYSSEY OUTCOMES: Effects of PCSK9 inhibition on total cardiovascular disease burden

With improved management in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS) setting, should we be using total cardiovascular event reduction to evaluate the impact of novel lipid-lowering therapies on the total cardiovascular disease burden in these very high-risk patients? Results from this pre-specified analysis from ODYSSEY OUTCOMES…

VIDEO: AHA 2018 US Cholesterol Guidelines



ODYSSEY OUTCOMES Economics Study: How can we get the best value from PCSK9 inhibitors?

PCSK9 inhibitors are undoubtedly extremely powerful LDL-lowering therapies that reduce cardiovascular events (1,2). Perceived cost, however, has been a major barrier to uptake. Do new treatments gain health at a reasonable cost to society and to healthcare payers? How much is the payer – or…

New US Cholesterol Guidelines: The good, the bad and the ugly

PCSK9 Forum Editor Professor Henry Ginsberg, Columbia University, New York, USA. The new guidelines might be viewed as a remake of the great spaghetti western called “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” The Good includes recommendations for personalized discussions with patients that address short-…

New US Cholesterol Guidelines: worth waiting for?

In 2013, the US lipid management guidelines reverted to guidelines for cholesterol management (1). These guidelines were predominantly based on evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs); some queried this approach without leeway for clinician-based judgement. The new Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol discussed…