Novartis' Pelacarsen Fails Major Heart Disease Trial, Shocking Cardiologists

Novartis' pelacarsen, a highly anticipated drug targeting lipoprotein(a) to reduce cardiovascular risk, failed to show efficacy in a large Phase 3 trial, contradicting prior expectations. The failure leaves a significant unmet need in cardiovascular prevention and raises questions about the therapeutic hypothesis. This is a major setback for Novartis' pipeline and for the field of lipid-lowering therapies.