High levels of triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood, can raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, and other serious health problems.
These fats often increase in people with diabetes or those who are overweight. While some treatments exist, they do not always work well. A new study has found that a drug called olezarsen may offer a much better solution.
The study was shared at the ESC Congress 2025 and also published in the American Heart Journal. It was led by Dr. Brian Bergmark from Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston. The drug was tested in a large, high-quality clinical trial called ESSENCE-TIMI 73b.
This trial included over 1,300 adults in North America and Europe who had moderate hypertriglyceridemia, which means their triglyceride levels were higher than normal but not extremely high. Most of these people also had a high risk of heart disease, either because they already had it or because they had diabetes and were older than 55.
Participants in the study were already receiving standard treatments to control their cholesterol levels. They were randomly placed into three groups: one group received 50 mg of olezarsen, another received 80 mg, and the third group got a placebo (a treatment with no active drug). Each person received an injection once every four weeks for a year.
After six months, the results were impressive. People who took olezarsen had big drops in their triglyceride levels. The group that received 50 mg of the drug had a 58.4% bigger drop in triglyceride levels than the placebo group, and the 80 mg group had a 60.6% bigger drop. These changes were seen as very significant.
In fact, more than 85% of people taking olezarsen saw their triglyceride levels fall below 150 mg/dL, which is considered normal. In comparison, only 12.5% of those on placebo reached that level. After 12 months, those numbers remained very strong, showing the effects lasted over time.
Olezarsen also helped reduce other harmful blood fats, including remnant cholesterol, non-HDL cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B. Interestingly, it did not affect LDL cholesterol, which is the main target of most cholesterol-lowering drugs.
In terms of safety, serious side effects were similar across all groups: 9% for the 50 mg group, 14% for the 80 mg group, and 11% for the placebo group. One issue was a rise in liver enzymes, which was more common in the olezarsen groups. However, these increases were usually small and did not lead to major problems.
Overall, this study shows that olezarsen may offer a powerful new way to lower triglyceride levels in people at risk of heart disease. Most people in the study reached safe levels of triglycerides, something that is hard to achieve with current treatments.
Dr. Bergmark noted that the results were better than what doctors usually see with other available medications. This drug could be a major step forward for people who need better ways to manage their heart health.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that Vitamin D deficiency can increase heart disease risk, and results showing Zinc and vitamin B6 linked to lower death risk in heart disease.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about more coffee linked to heart rhythm disease, and results showing Zinc and vitamin B6 linked to lower death risk in heart disease.
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