Novartis has a long way to go to make its twice-yearly cholesterol-lowering drug Leqvio the multi-billion-dollar blockbuster it is predicting – but took another step along that road today.
AstraZeneca has taken the decision not to move a PCSK9-targeting antisense drug licensed from Ionis into a phase 3 programme, removing a competitor to Novartis' rival therapy Leqvio.
Verve Therapeutics has started dosing patients in a phase 1b trial of its in vivo gene-editing drug for high cholesterol, designed to permanently switch off the PCSK9 gene with a one-shot t
At its second attempt, Novartis has won FDA approval for its cholesterol lowering drug inclisiran, which can reduce levels with just two injections a year.
Novartis' cholesterol-lowering drug Leqvio will be made available on the NHS in England and Wales, and could help to prevent up to 30,000 deaths, according to NICE.