5 Key Interviews, New Data at the American Heart Association 2024 Scientific Sessions

Key Takeaways

The SUMMIT trial shows tirzepatide reduces heart failure outcomes by 38% in patients with preserved ejection fraction and obesity.
Less than 50% of ASCVD patients adhere to statin therapy after one year, highlighting pharmacists' role in improving adherence.
GLP-1 receptor agonists' mechanisms, clinical evidence, and challenges like cost and access will be discussed for cardiovascular therapy.
Historic redlining may increase cardiometabolic disease prevalence, emphasizing the importance of pharmacies in affected communities.
The AZALEA-TIMI 71 trial evaluates bleeding risks of abelacimab versus rivaroxaban in atrial fibrillation patients on antiplatelet therapy.

The sessions will include late-breaking science, clinical practice guidelines, early innovators spotlight sessions, and more.

Pharmacy Times® will be live in Chicago covering the American Heart Association (AHA) 2024 Scientific Sessions, happening November 16 through 18.

AI image of a heart | Image credit: © visoot | stock.adobe.com

Each year, the AHA’s Scientific Sessions highlight advancements in cardiovascular medicine, including new discoveries and educational content. The sessions will include late-breaking science, clinical practice guidelines, early innovators spotlight sessions, and more.

Stay tuned on PharmacyTimes.com for exclusive coverage of these session and conversations with experts, including:

On Saturday, experts will present findings from the SUMMIT (NCT04847557) trial of tirzepatide for patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and obesity. According to data released earlier this year, tirzepatide reduced the risk of heart failure outcomes by 38% compared with placebo in this patient population. In this session at the Scientific Sessions, presenter Milton Packer, MD, will further review these findings and what they mean for the future of treatments in this patient population.
In an exclusive interview with Pharmacy Times, Rachel Chandra, PharmD, MPH, FASHP, will discuss her presentation titled “Lipid Medication Adherence and Clinician Hesitation in Patients With ASCVD.” Despite guideline recommendations, less than 50% of patients are adherent to their statin therapy after 1 year and less than 30% are adherent after 2 years, highlighting a role for pharmacists.
On Sunday, experts will discuss glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and their role in cardiovascular therapy. Although incretin analogues have well-known effects on many indices of cardiovascular-kidney metabolic health, more clarity is needed regarding the physiologic effects and clinical approach to using these agents. Presenters will discuss these drugs’ mechanisms of action, clinical trial evidence, approaches to clinical use, and management of obstacles like cost and access.
In an interview, Rebekah Walker, PhD, will discuss her research on the direct and indirect effects of historic redlining on the prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases via food access. Redlining, a discriminatory practice in which financial services are withheld from neighborhoods with majority racial and ethnic minorities, could be linked with higher rates of diabetes, higher blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and obesity prevalence in these neighborhoods, highlighting the importance of pharmacies in these communities.
In an exclusive interview with Pharmacy Times, Christian Ruff, MD, MPH, will discuss prespecified analysis of the AZALEA-TIMI 71 trial, investigating bleeding with the factor XI inhibitor abelacimab (Anthos Therapeutics) compared with rivaroxaban for patients on antiplatelet therapy. The AZALEA-TIMI 71 trial is a phase 2b, multicenter, randomized, active-controlled study evaluating the safety and tolerability of 2 blinded doses of abelacimab in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Follow Pharmacy Times on our website and on social media for the latest updates throughout the Scientific Sessions.