Vascepa: A Game-Changer in Heart Disease Treatment with Purified Fish Oil

The recent testing by the Amarin Corp of Vascepa, purified fish oil, in people who have heart disease is a win because this finding has the potential to help almost everyone.

Vascepa

The results for Vascepa found a reduction in the risk of cardiac events, like stroke or heart attack, by 25 percent in those at high risk, which was much higher than what Amarin had anticipated. Add that there were no side effects and this could change how heart disease is handled, and to add to its success healthcare workers seem ready to embrace it rather than hamper its implementation.

All of this could be the reason behind the tripling of share prices at Amarin Corp. It was no surprise that Amarin’s product Vascepa was being doubted after being on trial for more than ten years, especially since so many other fish trials have failed. However, the difference with Vascepa seems to be that, unlike other products where cholesterol levels are raised, it does not increase cholesterol levels.

Amarin claims they were certain that by focusing on patients at high risk who consistently have high triglycerides they would show the advantages of the use of high doses of Vascepa and it seems that is exactly what they have proven.

Fish Oil

Drug insurers have approved coverage for a small patient group dealing with high triglycerides and coverage may be expanded. In the US cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death. It also has a heavy financial toll on the healthcare system. According to Amarin, Vascepa has the potential to save lives and money.

Other manufacturers, such as Sanofi Pharmaceuticals, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and Amgen Inc., have tried to make similar treatment arguments, but they have been unsuccessful, even though these drugs have been able to lower cardiovascular events better than older statins, reducing them significantly in high-risk populations. However, their list price at launch resulted in substantial restrictions on availability by insurers.

Amarin’s statement that the purity of their drug is hard to replicate, the lack of disclosure by Amarin on secondary endpoint data, and the skepticism over previous failures have been a concern by drug insurers. However, this is one of those situations where the impact that Vascepa has on patients may outweigh everything else.

In an industry where gains are usually small and incremental, Vascepa just might break what’s considered the industry standard.