1st-Ever Virtual Cardiology College Meeting to Debut Novel Heart Drug Data

Whether the VICTORIA trial really supports vericiguat as a novel therapy for worsening heart failure will be revealed during the virtual American College of Cardiology (ACC) meeting this week.
The randomized double-blind trial met its primary endpoint (a composite of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization), according to an announcement by drug manufacturers last fall. Only on Saturday morning, however, will finer details surface regarding the efficacy and safety of the soluble guanylate cyclase enzyme stimulator compared with placebo in more than 5,000 patients.

VICTORIA and other scientific studies will be highlighted during the 3-day ACC conference, originally scheduled to be held in Chicago this year. The program also features keynote speakers and various educational sessions — all available virtually (and free of charge) for the first time because of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
The late-breaking science program this year includes a total of 23 late-breaking trials and 15 featured clinical research trials.
One Sunday session in particular, dedicated to trials on transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), may be interesting, said Steven Nissen, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Investigators from that session will present data on TAVR in patients with severe aortic stenosis and bicuspid anatomy and reveal 2-year clinical and echocardiographic outcomes from the PARTNER 3 trial in low-risk patients.
During a web briefing for the media, Pamela Morris, MD, of the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, highlighted the ACC 2019 Well-Being Study based on a survey for cardiologists about their feelings of burnout and stress.

“I think it’s incredibly important that burnout is reported in more than a third of cardiologists,” she said, noting that the investigators found burnout to be more common in women, people in mid-level positions, and those working more than 60 hours a week.
Other studies of note scheduled for the virtual meeting include the following:

• The VOYAGER PAD trial, investigating the effects of adding rivaroxaban (Xarelto) or placebo to the antithrombotic regimens of people undergoing endovascular or surgical revascularization for peripheral artery disease

• TAILOR PCI, an open-label trial that compares prospective genotyping versus conventional care in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, given that some may have a genetic variant that makes them less responsive to clopidogrel (Plavix)

• Primary results from the SPYRAL HTN-Off Med trial on catheter-based renal denervation for lowering blood pressure in people not taking antihypertensives

• A trial on e-cigarettes for smoking cessation in almost 400 long-time smokers

• Studies of the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab (Praluent) and the ANGPTL3 antibody evinacumab in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

The ACC meeting is being held in partnership with the World Congress of Cardiology and the World Heart Federation. Presentations may be watched live or later on demand.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/meetingcoverage/acc/85625