Science
Addressing Atherosclerosis in Multiple Arterial Beds to provide new hope for Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases CAD, PAD
Plaque burden is currently an untreated cardiovascular risk factor
92
People in US living with Heart Disease
1
Cause of Death Globally
$316
Cost Burden (PhRMA 2018 report on cardiovascular drug development)
Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)
Associated with Significant Morbidity
EPIDEMIOLOGY
The estimated prevalence of 10% in adults over the age of 55
Risk factors: hypertension, tobacco use, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia
PATHOGENESIS
Progressive narrowing of arteries due to cholesterol deposition leads to increased arterial resistance and reduced flow
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS
Unchecked, PAD progresses from pain while walking to gangrene and limb-loss
LIMITED THERAPEUTIC OPTIONS
- PAD has few effective pharmacologic options, and expensive surgery is reserved for high risk patients with severe disease
- Single-agent antiplatelet therapy (e.g., aspirin) is a recommended treatment to prevent plaque rapture and acute limb event
- Statins may slow down further plaque disposition but not reverse the process
- Cilostazol (PDE inhibitor) improves symptoms in the minority of patients and is poorly tolerated due to GI symptoms
- There is a large unmet need for an agent that can reverse cholesterol deposition and avoid expensive and risky interventions
Atherosclerosis Impact
Atherosclerosis with cholesterol-rich plaques is the leading cause of PAD & CAD.
- Complement and synergize with current SoC that is focused on LDL lowering by enhancing the natural process of reverse cholesterol transport
- Provide a patient-centric solution (once-monthly injection)
- A clear pathway to approval and commercialization for PAD indication and the more extensive CAD-MACE outcome trial