Health
Drugmakers advance experimental treatments targeting Lp(a) cardiovascular risk factor
Leading pharmaceutical companies, including Novartis, are developing late-stage clinical therapies for a genetic risk factor that affects one in five people.
The short version
- Pharmaceutical companies are targeting a common, genetically determined cardiovascular risk factor known as Lp(a).
- Approximately 20% of the population has elevated Lp(a) levels, which currently lack direct, approved medical treatments.
- Novartis is currently leading the race to bring a treatment to the market, ahead of other developers like Amgen and Eli Lilly.
Key facts
- Roughly one in five people have high levels of Lp(a), a cardiovascular risk factor that is primarily genetic.[STAT]
- There are currently no direct medical treatments available to lower elevated Lp(a) levels.[STAT]
- Novartis, Amgen, and Eli Lilly are among the drugmakers testing experimental therapies in late-stage clinical trials.[STAT]
- Novartis is currently positioned as the front-runner in developing a treatment for the high Lp(a) market.[STAT]
What remains uncertain
- Whether these experimental late-stage treatments will successfully secure regulatory approval remains to be determined.[STAT]