No reduction of MACE with PCSK9i in patients with a history of HF

Introduction and methods

Background

There was no CV benefit of statins in patients with a history of heart failure (HF) in the GISSI-HF trial [1] and the CORONA trial [2], although these trials enrolled a high proportion of patients with ischemic HF.

The ODYSSEY OUTCOMES [3,4] and the FOURIER trial [5], in which the effect of PCSK9 inhibitors on CV events were evaluated, showed no effect of PCKS9 inhibitors on hospitalization for HF.

In this analysis was examined whether the PCKS9 inhibitor alirocumab reduced major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) or reduced hospitalizations for HF in patients with a history of HF using data from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial.

Study design

18,924Patients enrolled in the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial had been hospitalized with an ACS 1-12 months before randomization and elevated LDL-c or non-HDL-c, or ApoB after ≥2 weeks of statin treatment. Patients with NYHA class III or IV for HF and LVEF <25% were excluded. Patients were randomized to alirocumab or matching placebo. Median follow-up was 2.8 (Q1, Q3: 2.3, 3,4).

There were 2815 patients (14.9%) with a history of HF and 16,109 patients (85.1%) without a history of HF.

Main outcomes

In this analysis, the effect of alirocumab on MACE, components of MACE including types of MI, hospitalization for HF and death were evaluated.

Main results

Effects on lipids

• Alirocumab treatment resulted in a similar decrease in LDL-c in patients with vs. without a history of HF: -1.4 (-1.9 to -0.9) vs. -1.4 (-1.8 to -0.9).

Effects on (components of) MACE

• In the group of patients with no history of HF, there was a reduction of MACE with alirocumab compared to placebo (HR 0.78, 95%CI: 0.70-0.86, P<0.0001). In contrast, in patients with a history of HF, there was no reduction of MACE with alirocumab compared to placebo (Pinteraction between randomized treatment and history of HF on MACE was 0.0001).
• In patients without a history of HF, alirocumab reduced non-fatal MIs compared to placebo (HR 0.78, 95%CI: 0.69-0.88, P<0.0001). There was an excess of non-fatal MIs with alirocumab compared to placebo in patients with a history of HF (HR 1.30, 95%CI: 1.02-1.64, P=0.032) (Pinteraction=0.0002).

Effects on hospitalization for heart failure

• There was no effect of treatment on HF hospitalization in patients without a history of HF or in patients with HF.

Effects on death

• Treatment with alirocumab reduced all-cause death compared to placebo in patients without a history of HF (HR 0.80, 95%CI: 0.67-0.95, P=0.0135), but not in patients with a history of HF.

Conclusion

References

Find this article online at Eur Heart J