Atherosclerosis

Plaque progression in patients assigned icosapent ethyl (Vascepa, Amarin) vs. placebo.

PHILADELPHIA — Among patients with signs of atherosclerosis following stroke or transient ischemic attack, those who achieved a target LDL level of less than 70 mg/dL had lower risk for subsequent CV events than patients achieving LDL levels between 90 and 110 mg/dL, according to findings presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

PHILADELPHIA — Interim data using coronary CT angiography demonstrated benefits of icosapent ethyl as an adjunct to statin therapy on several plaque characteristics at 9 months in adults with high triglycerides and coronary atherosclerosis.

PHILADELPHIA — Among patients with ACS, patients with symptomatic HIV appear to be less aggressively treated with diagnostic catheterization, PCI and CABG compared with patients with no or asymptomatic HIV, according to findings presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions.

CHICAGO — Findings of cardiovascular benefit with icosapent ethyl treatment from the REDUCE-IT trial have already revealed actionable clinical implications, but determining whether triglyceride reductions or eicosapentaenoic acid increases are the key mechanisms will be the focus of continuing research, according to a speaker at the Cardiometabolic Heath Congress.

Patients with familial hypercholesterolemia who were treated in U.S. specialty clinics had a harder time achieving LDL less than 100 mg/dL than those who had atherosclerotic CVD at the start of lipid-lowering therapy.

PARIS — Lifelong genetic exposure to lower systolic BP and lower LDL levels was linked with lower CV risk, according to data presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.

Alirocumab reduced the risk for major adverse CV events and death in patients with recent ACS and polyvascular disease and in those with CABG after an ACS event, according to two analyses of the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

In the overall cohort of a randomized trial, three drug-eluting stents were associated with similar rates of target vessel failure and stent thrombosis at 3 years.

Researchers analyzed cholesterol treatment patterns in patients with atherosclerotic CVD.