The latest
November 7, 2026 · 4:55 p.m. Central — An experimental drug designed to lower lipoprotein(a), a largely inherited marker linked to cardiovascular risk, did not reduce major heart-related events in a large trial of people who already had cardiovascular disease, researchers reported Saturday.
The detailed results for pelacarsen were presented at the American Heart Association’s scientific meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study’s sponsor, Novartis, had announced in September that the trial missed its main goal; Saturday’s presentation added the numbers behind that finding.
What the trial found
The randomized, placebo-controlled Lp(a)HORIZON trial assigned 8,322 adults with elevated Lp(a) and preexisting cardiovascular disease to monthly pelacarsen injections or a placebo, alongside standard care. Participants were followed for a median of 4.7 years, according to the Cleveland Clinic, whose researchers led the study.
The primary outcome — cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack or stroke, or an urgent coronary procedure requiring hospitalization — occurred in 12.3% of the pelacarsen group and 12.1% of the placebo group. The trial did not show a reduction in that combined outcome with the drug.
At one year, Lp(a) levels fell substantially more with pelacarsen than with placebo: the researchers estimated a 77.7-percentage-point treatment difference in the change from baseline. Lowering the laboratory marker in this group therefore did not translate into the expected benefit during the study’s follow-up.
