Novo Nordisk global observational study reveals 2 in 5 people with cardiovascular disease have cardiovascular inflammation, increasing their risk of heart attack and stroke
Dubai(News Desk)::– Novo Nordisk today presented new results from the landmark POSEIDON
real-world evidence study at the 94 th European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress in Athens,
Greece. The study showed that CV inflammation remains highly prevalent among people with CVD
despite current standard-of-care treatment. The study found that 2 in 5 people with ASCVD and CKD
had CV inflammation, which is associated with an increased risk of major CV events
A second POSEIDON analysis recently published in the European Journal of Heart Failure showed
that two in five people with heart failure also have CV inflammation. In POSEIDON, CV inflammation
was measured and defined by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels ≥2 mg/L . hsCRP is
the most commonly used and widely available blood test for measuring CV inflammation
These findings underscore a significant gap in current CV care. Even when people receive guideline-
recommended treatments to control, e.g., cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, inflammation-
driven CV risk persists. The POSEIDON study represents one of the largest contemporary global
assessments of CV inflammation prevalence in this high-risk population .
The POSEIDON study provides critical evidence that cardiovascular inflammation represents a
significant source of persistent risk in people living with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and
chronic kidney disease or heart failure, despite receiving standard of care treatment today, said Filip
Knop, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Novo Nordisk.Understanding the scope of
cardiovascular inflammatory risk is essential, as we continue our innovation-driven research to
develop a first-in-class therapy with the potential to address this critical unmet need.
POSEIDON enrolled 18,904 patients across 18 countries spanning Europe, North America, South
America and Asia-Pacific between 2023 and 2025. Within the study, 13,475 patients had ASCVD, of
whom 5,757 (42.7%) had CKD, while 11,809 patients had heart failure spanning across all types of
heart failure (preserved, mildly reduced or reduced)
Cardiovascular inflammation plays a central role in the development and progression of
ASCVD. Multiple studies have shown that people with CV inflammation face an increased risk of
major adverse cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke and CV death . Inflammation also
contributes to CKD progression, and CKD itself may promote inflammation, creating a cycle that
amplifies CV risk .
It also plays a key role in heart failure, and it is common across all types of heart failure, particularly in
people with obesity, kidney disease and other metabolic conditions.
POSEIDON makes clear that inflammation is not a peripheral concern – it is a shared driver of risk
affecting millions of patients worldwide with cardiovascular disease who remain vulnerable despite our
best current therapies, said Professor Carolyn S.P. Lam, Senior Consultant, Department of
Cardiology, National Heart Centre Singapore; and Professor, Cardiovascular Metabolic Disorders
Signature Research Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School.What is striking is the consistency of
inflammatory signals across such diverse patient populations. That consistency points to a practical
way forward – identifying patients most likely to benefit from therapies that directly target inflammation. This reframes how we should think about residual cardiovascular risk, and it underscores the promise of emerging anti-inflammatory therapies to address a real unmet need.
The growing recognition of the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease is reflected in recent
guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the American Heart Association (AHA),
and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), which include elevated hsCRP as a risk-modifying
biomarker to guide more intensive preventive initiatives.
