Superlatives were not in short supply when Amarin Corp. PLC reported a 25% reduction in cardiovascular risk in the REDUCE-IT outcomes trial for its triglyceride-lowering purified fish oil pill Vascepa (icosapent ethyl), exceeding the fairly low expectations for the long-term study.
"That's huge, folks," Amarin President and CEO John Thero said during an investor call on Sept. 24 when describing the "extremely exciting" 25% reduction in major cardiovascular events (MACE) relative to placebo (p<0.001). REDUCE-IT enrolled patients with LDL cholesterol maintained at healthy levels by statin therapy and with elevated triglyceride levels between 150 mg/dL and 499 mg/dL (median at baseline was 216 mg/dL)