Pfizer pulls plug on PCSK9 Inhibitor

Medicines

By Nicola Garrett

2 Nov 2016

Pfizer has announced it is discontinuing the development of its cholesterol-lowering PCSK9 inhibitor bococizumab.

“The totality of clinical information now available for bococizumab, taken together with the evolving treatment and market landscape for lipid-lowering agents, indicates that bococizumab is not likely to provide value to patients, physicians, or shareholders,” said the company in a press release issued on Tuesday.

This means the the 17,000 patient SPIRE 1 and the 10,000 patient SPIRE-2 cardiovascular outcome trials will be halted.

Paul M. Ridker, MD, Co-chair Executive Committee, SPIRE clinical trials program and director for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, Brigham and Women’s Hospital said that to honour the altruism of trial participants, and to maximise the clinical and scientific knowledge derived from the halted trials, Pfizer had committed to ensuring that the data will be made available.

“We believe the available data will allow us to test the core scientific questions posed by the overall program which is in the best interest of patients who volunteered in these clinical trials, and for patients worldwide who suffer from heart disease,” he said.

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