Novo Nordisk Study Finds 40% of High-Risk Cardiovascular Patients Have Untreated Inflammation

Event summary

  • Novo Nordisk's POSEIDON study of 18,904 patients across 18 countries found 40% of those with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) or heart failure have untreated cardiovascular inflammation.
  • The study, presented at the 94th European Atherosclerosis Society Congress, highlights a significant gap in current cardiovascular care despite standard treatments for cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
  • Cardiovascular inflammation, measured by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels ≥2 mg/L, is an independent risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular death.
  • The study enrolled patients between 2023 and 2025, with 13,475 having ASCVD and 11,809 having heart failure.

The big picture

The POSEIDON study underscores the persistent risk of cardiovascular inflammation despite current standard-of-care treatments, highlighting a significant unmet need in the cardiovascular disease market. This gap presents an opportunity for Novo Nordisk to innovate in anti-inflammatory therapies, aligning with broader industry trends recognizing inflammation as a key driver of cardiovascular events. The study's global scope and large patient sample size reinforce the prevalence and impact of this issue, positioning Novo Nordisk at the forefront of addressing this critical health challenge.

What we're watching

Therapeutic Innovation
Whether Novo Nordisk can develop a first-in-class therapy to address the unmet need of cardiovascular inflammation, as hinted by the company's chief medical officer.
Regulatory Alignment
The pace at which recent guidelines from the ESC, AHA, and ACC incorporating hsCRP as a risk-modifying biomarker will drive adoption of anti-inflammatory therapies.
Market Expansion
How the consistent inflammatory signals across diverse patient populations will influence the global market for cardiovascular treatments targeting inflammation.

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