Cholesterol Drug Halves Heart Attack and Stroke in Early Test

An experimental cholesterol-lowering drug, alirocumab, from Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals roughly cut in half the number of heart attacks and strokes in a clinical trial, the two companies reported at the European Society of Cardiology's annual meeting in Barcelona on Aug. 31. Results are not conclusive, as the analysis was done retrospectively, but the study is said to provide the first evidence that targeting a protein known as PCSK9 could reduce cardiovascular risks for millions of patients. Confirmation is expected from a much larger trial.

The drug is from a new class of medicines, which are also being developed by Amgen and Pfizer, targeting the so-called bad cholesterol LDL. The treatments are expected to reap multibillion-dollar sales.

The finding is likely to spur enthusiasm about the drugs, which could reach the market next year. In July of this year, Sanofi and Regeneron said nine studies had shown consistent LDL reductions with alirocumab, which is injectable.

In the trials, two groups of patients received conventional anti-cholesterol statin pills in addition to alirocumab or a placebo. Among the alirocumab group, 1.4% of patients suffered a major cardiovascular event compared with 3% of those in the placebo group, Sanofi said.

The 2,341-patient study, called Odyssey Long Term, is expected to conclude in early 2015, but researchers said the early sign of effectiveness was clearly positive.

No other drug maker has previously released data suggesting reduced cardiovascular risk from PCSK9 inhibitors.

Dr. Patrick T. O'Gara of the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and president of the American College of Cardiology said that the finding was "biologically plausible," but that the retrospective nature of the analysis necessitated caution.

Company

Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland

Industriepark Höchst
65926 Frankfurt am Main
Germany

Company contact







Virtual Event

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry
CHEManager Spotlight

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry

Save the Date: October 22, 2025
The event will be promoted to a combined audience of over 100,000 professionals across Europe through the CHEManager and CITplus networks.

Free Virtual Event

Vaccine Manufacturing
Bioprocess Forum

Vaccine Manufacturing

Join global experts and innovators for a two-day virtual event exploring the latest breakthroughs and best practices in vaccine manufacturing. Discover how new technologies and process innovations are shaping the future of vaccine production, safety, and scalability.

most read

Photo
19.03.2025 • News

Arkema Launches Acrylic Acid Purification Project

Arkema has announced the launch of its Carat Project at its Carling site in France. This initiative aims to enhance the capabilities and sustainability of the facility, which specializes in producing acrylic monomers and superabsorbent polymers.

Photo
13.03.2025 • News

Roche and Zealand Pharma Collaborate on Weight Management Drug

Swiss pharma heavyweight Roche announced has entered into an exclusive collaboration and licensing agreement with Denmark’s Zealand Pharma. Under the terms of this agreement, the two companies will collaborate to co-develop and co-commercialize petrelintide, Zealand Pharma’s amylin analog as a standalone therapy as well as a fixed-dose combination with Roche’s lead incretin asset CT-388.