Ionis Pharmaceuticals' subsidiary Akcea Therapeutics has begun the Phase IIb clinical trial of  AKCEA-APO(a)-L to treat patients with hyperlipoproteinemia(a) and established cardiovascular disease.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Related Company Profiles

View all

AKCEA-APO(a)-L is being developed as part of the firm's strategic collaboration with Novartis to develop drugs for patients who are at high cardiovascular risk associated with inadequately treated lipid disorders.

The product mitigates apolipoprotein(a) or Apo(a) protein production to minimise lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a), as the elevated Lp(a) leads to coronary artery disease, heart attack, stroke and peripheral arterial disease.

The dose-ranging randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase IIb trial will assess the safety and efficacy of different doses of the product in up to 270 patients.

See Also:

Akcea Therapeutics chief executive officer Paula Soteropoulo said: "We believe addressing elevated Lp(a) is the next important horizon in lipid-focused therapy and, through our collaboration and option agreement with Novartis, we plan to develop AKCEA-APO(a)-L to treat patients with established cardiovascular disease in whom elevated Lp(a) plays a causal role in their disease.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.
"Upon licensing, Novartis will be responsible for worldwide development and commercialisation of AKCEA-APO(a)-L."

"Following the achievement of specified development milestones and prior to the initiation of a Phase III study, Novartis will be able to exercise its option to license the drug.

"Upon licensing, Novartis will be responsible for worldwide development and commercialisation of AKCEA-APO(a)-L."

The product utilises Ionis' advanced ligand conjugated anti-sense (LICA) technology to enable significantly lower doses and less frequent administration when compared to non-LICA drugs.

The top-line results from the Phase IIb trial are expected to be reported in the middle of next year.

Image: Akcea initiates trial of AKCEA-APO(a)-L for lipid and heart disorders. Photo: courtesy of interphasesolution/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.