Isis Pharmaceuticals Announces Positive Phase 1 Results with ISIS-APO(a) Rx

Isis Pharmaceuticals

announced today positive results from a Phase 1 study with ISIS-APO(a)Rx.  These data were presented by Dr. Sotirios Tsimikas at the Vascular Biology Working Group global chapter meeting occurring concurrently with the American Heart Association (AHA) in Dallas, Texas.  These data will also be presented at the AHA on Sunday, November 17 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time in the poster session titled 'Mechanisms and Regulation of Hepatic Lipid Metabolism.'  In this study, healthy volunteers treated with ISIS-APO(a)Rx achieved dose-dependent reductions of up to 95 percent in lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. "Patients with elevated levels of Lp(a) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and there is evidence that elevated Lp(a) levels may contribute directly to heart attacks.  Because elevated Lp(a) is principally a genetically determined condition that is not responsive to lifestyle changes, patients are unable to adequately control their Lp(a) levels through diet or increased physical activity.  Although Lp(a) can be measured during a routine lipid blood panel, the lack of drugs that effectively lower Lp(a) have made treating patients with high Lp(a) levels difficult,"  said Sotirios Tsimikas, M.D., professor of