The Impact of Pcsk-9 Inhibition on PET CFR in Patients at High CV Risk
The Impact of Pcsk-9 Inhibition on PET Coronary Flow Reserve in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk (EMPOWER Study)
Brigham and Women's Hospital
50 participants
Mar 3, 2022
INTERVENTIONAL
Conditions
Summary
The study protocol is a single-arm, open label pilot study designed to evaluate the impact of PCSK-9 inhibition on coronary blood flow in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Patients with stable coronary artery disease will be recruited from the BWH Cardiovascular Medicine clinic and/or from the BWH Nuclear Cardiology Laboratory. A target sample size of 50 participants will undergo imaging with N-13 ammonia or Rubidium-82 positron emission tomography (PET) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) before and after 12 months of PCSK-9 inhibition with Evolocumab to assess changes in myocardial blood flow, and plaque volume. To help account for physiological changes that may occur in myocardial blood flow and inflammatory biomarkers during the study period, we will also recruit a parallel control group of stable CAD patients who will undergo similar baseline and 12-month imaging and biomarker assessment. We plan to recruit 15 patients in the parallel control group.
Eligibility
Inclusion Criteria15
- Intervention Group:
- Age: ≥ 50 (men) or ≥ 55 (women)
- Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≥ 70 mg/dL
- Stable coronary artery disease (without plan to undergo revascularization before randomization) defined as one or more of the following:
- Abnormal nuclear perfusion imaging
- At least moderate ischemia involving >10% of the LV myocardium or
- Global coronary flow reserve (CFR) <1.8 or
- Stress myocardial blood flow (MBF) <1.8
- Abnormal coronary angiography (invasive coronary angiography or coronary computed tomography)
- ≥ 50% stenosis in ≥ 2 coronary vessels or
- Diffuse atherosclerosis in a 3-vessel distribution
- Elevated coronary calcium score
- CAC >100 + >1 ASCVD risk factor
- CAC >300
- If the patient is on a statin they must be on a stable dose for at least 3 months prior to enrollment.
Exclusion Criteria16
- History of myocardial infarction or stroke
- CABG < 3 months prior to screening
- Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia
- History of cardiac transplantation
- LV ejection fraction < 40% or New York Heart Failure Association (NYHA) class III-IV for angina and/or dyspnea.
- History of infiltrative or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
- Severe valvular disease
- Uncontrolled or recurrent ventricular tachycardia
- Fasting triglycerides > 500 mg/dL
- GFR ˂ 30 mL/min/1.73 m²
- Current use of a PCSK-9 inhibitor
- Currently pregnant or breastfeeding
- Contraindication to receive vasodilator agent
- Latex allergy
- Parallel Control Group:
- Patients will be invited to participate in the parallel control group if they meet study criteria, but 1) have a latex allergy and cannot use the Evolocumab autoinjector 2) LDL-C is just below the enrollment criteria (LDL 60-69), or 3) meet study criteria but prefer to not take an injectable medication at this time.
Interested in this trial?
Get notified about updates and connect with the research team.
Interventions
Evolocumab is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 (PCSK9). Evolocumab was FDA approved in 2015 for the treatment of hyperlipidemia and subsequently approved in 2017 for the prevention of stroke and heart attack. 140mg single use SureClick autoinjector that is administered subcutaneously once every 2 weeks.
Locations(1)
View Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov
For the most up-to-date information, visit the official listing.
NCT05152888