Nice find by General360 over on Stockhouse. We've all heard about the PCSK9 antibodies and how they dramatically lower LDL and one of these (Evolocumab/Repatha) was shown in FOURIER Phase 3 CVOT Outcomes Trial to reduce MACE. In a recently published article, researchers now show that vaccinating mice against PCSK9 reduced LDL and atherosclerosis in mice. As stated in this Medical News Today article:

"Based on the success of AT04A in mouse studies, a phase I clinical trial of the vaccine began in 2015, which involves 72 healthy adults. The trial is due to be complete by the end of this year."

Administering manufactured PCSK9 antibodies is very expensive and requires repeated injections (monthly, bi-monthly, semi-annual). However, giving a vaccine would allow a person to make their own anti-PCSK9 antibodies and may just require an annual booster shot according to the Medical News Today write up. That would be both more convenient and less expensive that repeated PCSK9 antibody injecitons. 

General360 raises the question of how this PCSK9 vaccination therapy may affect RVX-208 and its synergy with crestor? For example, if this PCSK9 vaccination strategy survives clinical trials and makes it to the clinic, will it make statins obsolete? If so, will RVX-208 still be used in conjuction with a statin? What are the implications of PKSC9 therapies on the future of RVX-208?

In my opinion, if BETonMACE succeeds......there will be a lot of future clinical trials of RVX-208 in combination with PCSK9 antibodies, statin alternatives to LDL-lowering (e.g. bempedoic acid, ezetimibe), SGLT2 inhibitors, and GLP-1 receptor agonists. Since RVX-208 operates through a completely different mechanism than these aforementioned drugs, there is a great chance that RVX-208 can offer benefits on top of these other drugs. It will be a long while before a PCSK9 vaccine comes to the clinic, if it ever does at all. In my opinion, if BETonMACE and other RVX-208 trials succeed, then RVX-208 will likely have already established itself in the market and have various other trials ongoing by the time a PCSK9 vaccine becomes an option. And if that vaccine does become an option, we will likely see a clinical trial of RVX-208 added on top of that vaccine (again, in my opinion).

BearDownAZ