Deepak Bhatt, MD: Impact of EPA Levels on Outcomes in REDUCE-IT

Even though REDUCE-IT staked its claim as one of the most impactful trials in recent memory, cardiologists were still left with questions surrounding the mechanism behind eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and how specific levels benefit cardiovascular health.

New data presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC) should go a long way in answering some of those questions, with the REDUCE-IT analysis presented by Deepak Bhatt, MD, indicating on-treatment EPA levels correlate with the effect on first and total cardiovascular events seen with icospaent ethyl (Vascepa).

Briefly, the 8179-patient REDUCE-IT trial, assessed use of icosapent ethyl in patients aged 45 years and older with a clinical history of coronary artery, cerebrovascular, carotid artery and peripheral artery disease, or 50 years and older with diabetes and additional risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Results of the study suggest icosapent ethyl use was associated with 25% reduction in relative risk of major adverse cardiovascular events including cardiovascular death, stroke, myocardial infarctions, hospitalization for unstable angina, or revascularization.

The substudy examined the impact of baseline EPA levels on outcomes and on-treatment EPA levels on outcomes. Results of the investigators analysis revealed on-treatment levels correlated strongly with reductions in cardiovascular death, MI, stroke, coronary revascularization, unstable angina, sudden cardiac death, cardiac arrest, new heart failure, and all-cause mortality.

Bhatt, lead investigator of REDUCE-IT and executive director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, sat down with HCPLive® to discuss the results of the substudy in a special edition ACC House Call.

This study, “Eicosapentaenoic Acid Levels in REDUCE-IT and Cardiovascular Outcomes,” was presented at ACC.20/WCC.