Cited by 215Lipid metabolism and disordersLipoproteins and Cardiovascular HealthRNA Interference and Gene Delivery

Plozasiran, an RNA Interference Agent Targeting APOC3, for Mixed Hyperlipidemia

Ballantyne, Christie M., Vasas, Szilard, Azizad, Masoud, Clifton, Peter, Rosenson, Robert S., Chang, Ting, Melquist, Stacey, Zhou, Rong +4 more·2024·New England Journal of Medicine

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Persons with mixed hyperlipidemia are at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease due to an elevated non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level, which is driven by remnant cholesterol in triglyceride-rich lipoproteins. The metabolism and clearance of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins are down-regulated through apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3)-mediated inhibition of lipoprotein lipase. METHODS: We carried out a 48-week, phase 2b, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of plozasiran, a hepatocyte-targeted APOC3 small interfering RNA, in patients with mixed hyperlipidemia (i.e., a triglyceride level of 150 to 499 mg per deciliter and either a low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol level of ≥70 mg per deciliter or a non-HDL cholesterol level of ≥100 mg per deciliter). The participants were assigned in a 3:1 ratio to receive plozasiran or placebo within each of four cohorts. In the first three cohorts, the participants received a subcutaneous injection of plozasiran (10 mg, 25 mg, or 50 mg) or placebo on day 1 and at week 12 (quarterly doses). In the fourth cohort, participants received 50 mg of plozasiran or placebo on day 1 and at week 24 (half-yearly dose). The data from the participants who received placebo were pooled. The primary end point was the percent change in fasting triglyceride level at week 24. RESULTS: A total of 353 participants underwent randomization. At week 24, significant reductions in the fasting triglyceride level were observed with plozasiran, with differences, as compared with placebo, in the least-squares mean percent change from baseline of -49.8 percentage points (95% confidence interval [CI], -59.0 to -40.6) with the 10-mg-quarterly dose, -56.0 percentage points (95% CI, -65.1 to -46.8) with the 25-mg-quarterly dose, -62.4 percentage points (95% CI, -71.5 to -53.2) with the 50-mg-quarterly dose, and -44.2 percentage points (95% CI, -53.4 to -35.0) with the 50-mg-half-yearly dose (P<0.001 for all comparisons). Worsening glycemic control was observed in 10% of the participants receiving placebo, 12% of those receiving the 10-mg-quarterly dose, 7% of those receiving the 25-mg-quarterly dose, 20% of those receiving the 50-mg-quarterly dose, and 21% of those receiving the 50-mg-half-yearly dose. CONCLUSIONS: In this randomized, controlled trial involving participants with mixed hyperlipidemia, plozasiran, as compared with placebo, significantly reduced triglyceride levels at 24 weeks. A clinical outcomes trial is warranted. (Funded by Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals; MUIR ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT04998201.).

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Crossref · 10.1056/nejmoa2404143

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44 of 44 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Mild elevations in aminotransferase levels as well as small increases in glycated hemoglobin levels have also been seen with plozasiran and are similar to the now well-established safety profile of statins.

    “Mild elevations in aminotransferase levels as well as small increases in glycated hemoglobin levels have also been seen with plozasiran 18,23,29 and are similar to the now well-established safety profile of statins. 30,31”
  • In MUIR and SHASTA-2, plozasiran reduced TG by 50-60% and improved remnant cholesterol, non-HDL-C, and apoB, while modest, dose-dependent LDL-C increases were observed at higher doses.

    “In MUIR [119] and SHASTA-2 [120], plozasiran similarly reduced TG by 50–60% and improved remnant cholesterol, non–HDL-C, and apoB, while modest, dose-dependent LDL-C increases were observed at higher doses.”

    From Targeting triglycerides for cardiovascular risk reduction (2026) · cites this paper as [119]

  • Four randomized controlled trials met eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis.

    “Ultimately, four RCTs met al.l eligibility criteria and were included in the final analysis [16, 17, 22, 23].”
  • The meta-analysis included 1,514 participants, with 534 assigned to plozasiran and 980 receiving placebo.

    “The meta-analysis included data from 4 clinical trials [16, 17, 22, 23], encompassing a total of 1,514 participants—534 assigned to various doses and treatment durations of plozasiran, and 980 receiving placebo.”
  • HDL-C analysis at 24 weeks showed significant heterogeneity (P = 0.02, I2 = 60%), which was resolved by excluding the study by Ballantyne et al. (2024) (50 mg H) (P = 0.15, I2 = 38%).

    “At 24 weeks, the analysis showed significant heterogeneity (P = 0.02, I² = 60%), which was resolved by excluding the study by Ballantyne et al. (2024) [16] (50 mg, H) (P = 0.15, I² = 38%).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Jacobsen A Duffy E Blumenthal RS Martin SS. Clinical review on triglycerides. Washington DC: American College of Cardiology March 4 2020 (https://www.acc.org/Latest-in-Cardiology/Articles/2020/03/03/15/08/Clinical-Review-on-Triglycerides).

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Authors
Ballantyne, C. M., Vasas, S., Azizad, M., Clifton, P., Rosenson, R. S., Chang, T., Melquist, S., Zhou, R., Mushin, M., Leeper, N. J., Hellawell, J., & Gaudet, D.
Affiliations
  • Royal Adelaide Hospital (AU)
  • From the Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Heart Institute, Houston (C.M.B.); Borbánya Praxis, Nyíregyháza, Hungary (S.V.); Valley Clinical Trials, Northridge (M.A.), Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Pasadena (T.C., S.M., R.Z., M.M., J.H.), and the Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford (N.J.L.) — all in California; the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia (P.C.); the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (R.S.R.); and the Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal and Ecogene-21, Quebec, QC, Canada (D.G.).
Venue
New England Journal of Medicine
Published
2024-09-12
Volume
391
Issue
10
Pages
899-912
ISSN
  • 0028-4793 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-4406
OpenAlex
W4399087766
Cited by
210
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 73 · 2025: 106 · 2024: 30
FWCI
55.75
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • New England Journal of Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Lipid metabolism and disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular Health
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA Interference and Gene Delivery
Keywords
plozasiran, apolipoprotein C-III, siRNA, mixed dyslipidemia, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, remnant cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, lipoprotein lipase inhibition, triglyceride lowering, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, dose comparison, safety and tolerability, subcutaneous injection
MeSH terms
RNAi Therapeutics, Adult, Aged, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Hyperlipidemias, Cholesterol, LDL, Male, Middle Aged, Triglycerides, RNA, Small Interfering, Apolipoprotein C-III

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