Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, but treatment has advanced dramatically. Statins, blood pressure medications, and antiplatelet drugs prevent millions of heart attacks and strokes annually. Research now focuses on inflammation, lipid targets beyond LDL cholesterol, and genetic forms of heart disease.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing PCSK9 inhibitors and RNA-based therapies for cholesterol, anti-inflammatory drugs that reduce heart attack risk, SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists originally developed for diabetes, and gene therapies for familial hypercholesterolemia. Researchers are also studying heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, where few treatments have worked until recently.
Anti-inflammatory approaches
Studies show that inflammation drives heart disease independently of cholesterol. Drugs targeting interleukin-6 and other inflammatory pathways are being tested to prevent heart attacks in people with high inflammation markers.
RNA therapeutics
Inclisiran, an RNA drug given twice yearly by injection, lowers LDL cholesterol by silencing the PCSK9 gene in the liver. Other RNA drugs targeting lipoprotein(a), a stubborn genetic cholesterol particle, are in late-stage trials.
Heart failure advances
SGLT2 inhibitors and finerenone have shown benefit in heart failure, expanding options beyond traditional diuretics and beta-blockers. Trials are testing whether these drugs work in people with preserved ejection fraction, where the heart pumps normally but stiffens.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on cholesterol levels, blood pressure, history of heart attack or stroke, heart function measurements, and current medications.
What types of trials are currently open
- Prevention trials — Testing cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood pressure medications, or antiplatelet therapies to prevent first or recurrent heart attacks and strokes.
- Heart failure trials — Studies of drugs or devices for people whose hearts pump weakly or have stiffened, often comparing new treatments to standard diuretics and beta-blockers.
- Intervention trials — Testing catheter-based procedures or new stent designs for blocked arteries, often comparing them to bypass surgery or medication alone.
- Arrhythmia trials — Studies of drugs or ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation and other rhythm problems, often measuring stroke risk and quality of life.
- Imaging studies — Using advanced scans to measure plaque buildup, inflammation, or heart muscle scarring, helping identify who needs more aggressive treatment.
Recently added Cardiovascular Disease trials
Ligasure Versus Conventional Diathermy in Hemorrhoidectomy
comparison study in the treatment of hemorrhoid between ligasure device and the conventional diathermy
Predicting High-Risk Carotid Plaque: Integrating radioMics and biomEchanics
Non-pharmacological interventional study for the development of a predictive model aimed at identifying unstable carotid plaques in asymptomatic patients at first diagnosis, with the use of biological material and prospective-retrospective data collection
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