AstraZeneca and Ionis heart drug Wainua fails pivotal cardiomyopathy trial
Wainua, an antisense therapy developed by AstraZeneca and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, failed a pivotal trial in transthyretin-mediated amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), a progressive heart condition. The drug did not outperform placebo in reducing cardiovascular death and clinical events, STAT reported .
The result is a setback for AstraZeneca’s cardiovascular ambitions in an increasingly crowded field: ATTR-CM has drawn heavy investment across the industry, and Wainua — already approved in the related indication of ATTR polyneuropathy — had been positioned to expand into the larger cardiac market. Markets reacted immediately, with AstraZeneca’s London shares down about 9% and Ionis off roughly 12% in premarket trading.
The failure narrows the competitive threat to incumbents that already hold ATTR-CM approvals and leaves the two partners weighing whether the cardiac program has a viable path forward.