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Novartis Acquires Anthos | COVID’s Heart Risks
February 13, 2025
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Together with
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“Yes, you can definitely tell… And when you go to dinners, you can definitely see. We eat, like, an eighth of our meal. I know what’s going on here.”
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Anonymous doc on her GLP-1 use.
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Cath labs have undergone a massive evolution in procedure volumes and complexity in recent years, requiring a similar evolution from the technologies they use. Check out the latest Cardiac Wire Show with Merge Healthcare’s Bob Schallhorn and KLAS Research’s Monique Rasband detailing how cath labs are changing, and how hemodynamic monitoring technologies are keeping up.
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Just a couple weeks after the full trial results of AZALEA TIMI 71 were released, Novartis agreed to acquire Anthos Therapeutics for $925M upfront and another $2.15B in milestone payments, signaling that the pharma titan may have renewed confidence in abelacimab and the Factor XI inhibition segment.
- Novartis spun out the testing and development of abelacimab and formed Anthos Therapeutics back in 2019.
- Since then, abelacimab has shown promise for clot prevention without raising bleeding risks when compared to anticoagulants like rivaroxaban (Bayer/J&J’s Xarelto).
Abelacimab already demonstrated an edge over the incumbents, thanks to its 80% reduction in venous thromboembolism compared to enoxaparin and a 62% lower rate of major bleeding events than Xarelto in phase 2 trials.
- Anthos subsequently kicked off three phase 3 trials in 2022, and wrapping up these studies by 2026 will now be Novartis’ responsibility.
Besides the hefty price tag, the “re-acquisition” puts Novartis back into competition with other big-name Factor XI inhibitor developers, who’ve faced a series of setbacks.
- Bayer terminated its OCEANIC-AF trial for its Factor XI inhibitor, asundexian, due to 3x greater stroke (1.3% vs. 0.4%) and 4x higher ischemic stroke rates (csHR = 4.06).
- Results from BMS’ AXIOMATIC-SSP study found that its Factor XI inhibitor, milvexian, failed to meaningfully reduce ischemic stroke.
Novartis initially prioritized its treatments for heart failure and plaque-clogged arteries when it spun-off abelacimab but continued to monitor the Factor XI race, leading to its choice to take the baton back from Anthos.
- Novartis’ abelacimab efforts will now take a unique clinical approach since the Anthos-designed phase 3 trials focus on more than just ischemic stroke.
- Anthos’ LILAC trial is focused on preventing stroke and systemic embolism in AFib patients, while ASTER and MAGNOLIA aim to use abelacimab to address VTE and GI cancer.
The Takeaway
Novartis’ massive investment to buy back Anthos suggests the pharma giant sees serious potential for abelacimab – despite the early troubles around other Factor XI inhibitors. We’ll have to wait and see the phase 3 results until we can say for sure.
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HeartFlow FFRCT Avoids Invasive Cath
Despite being conscious about his heart health, 60-year old Mike Gartman suddenly experienced classic symptoms of CAD. See how Mike’s HeartFlow FFRCT Analysis results allowed him to avoid the invasive procedure altogether and gain peace of mind about his disease.
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How to Overcome Cardiovascular Data Challenges
Managing cardiovascular data is a complex and confusing process. Head over to Optum’s article on best practices like aggregating multisource data to prevail over common issues related to cardiology data and analytics.
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AI-Echo for Cardiac Amyloidosis
Despite advancements in cardiac imaging, cardiac amyloidosis remains significantly underrecognized and underdiagnosed. Discover how Us2.ai’s deep learning diagnostic algorithm uses echocardiography and apical 4-chamber DICOM images to detect CA.
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- COVID’s Cardiac Implications: New research suggests COVID-19 is associated with several long-term heart risks, regardless of the patient’s age or health at the time of infection. Researchers examined CCTA data from more than 800 patients and determined that high-risk plaques (20.1% vs. 15.8%), coronary inflammation (27% vs. 19.9%), and target lesion failure were significantly more common in infected patients compared to non-infected patients. These findings suggest anyone infected could be feeling COVID’s cardiovascular effects for years to come.
- Iron Deficiency and AFib: New research out of Denmark suggests iron deficiency could be especially dangerous for patients with AFib whether or not they have HF. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 11k AFib patients who underwent iron studies between 2008 and 2019 and found that transferrin saturation of <20% led to increased mortality in AFib patients with or without HF ( +25% & +39%, respectively). Serum iron levels of ≤13 µmol/L also led to higher mortality in AFib patients with HF (+44%) and without (+67%).
- ECGs Shaken, Not Stirred: Results from the DRAI MARTINI study in Nature Medicine showcased AI’s potential for processing the vast ECG data that is currently interpreted by human technicians. Beat-by-beat annotation of 14.6k ECG recordings was performed by 167 techs and an ensemble model called DeepRhythmAI. The AI identified critical arrhythmias with a sensitivity of 98.6% (vs. 80.3% for the techs), and the technicians’ relative risk of missing a diagnosis was 14.1x higher than the AI (although they had fewer false positives).
- Orchestra BioMed’s SBP Symphony: Late-breaking results from Orchestra BioMed’s MODERATO II study suggest atrioventricular interval modulation (AVIM) could significantly improve diastolic dysfunction markers. The study found that 6 months of AVIM treatment led to greater SBP reductions in patients with diastolic dysfunction compared to the control group in both ambulatory (-8.3 mmHg vs -2.2 mmHg) and office settings (-12.1 mmHg vs. +2.9 mmHg). AVIM-treated patients also experienced a significant increase in E/A ratio (from 0.86 to 1.60).
- Retia + Medtronic: Retia Medical announced that Medtronic will distribute its Argos Cardiac Output Monitor for high-risk surgical and critically ill patients in the U.S. The Argos monitor uses a proprietary algorithm called Multi-Beat Analysis to analyze multiple heartbeats from the blood pressure signal and provide accurate hemodynamic data even during changes in vasomotor tone, low cardiac output, and arrhythmia.
- The Docs Are On GLP-1s: The NYT highlighted just how popular GLP-1s are getting, as even physicians are now turning to the drugs for their personal weight loss goals. Cardiologists and other physicians admitted that the drugs have helped them navigate obesity, T2D, and other risk factors more easily, even if some believe “it is cheating to use a drug” to lose weight. Even so, the effects of GLP-1s are so strong that the former head of the FDA is struggling to recognize his peers.
- Reprieve’s FAST Pilot: Reprieve Cardiovascular announced topline results from its FASTR randomized pilot study, revealing the benefits of its Reprieve System for patients with ADHF compared to optimal diuretic therapy. The 100 patient randomized trial demonstrated that the Reprieve System led to significantly greater sodium excretion, total urine output, and weight loss in patients with ADHF and significant fluid volume overload compared to ODT. The system didn’t increase the likelihood of decongestion-related adverse events such as increases in serum creatine during treatment.
- BP-SES vs. Traditional DES: Results from the TARGET-IV NA Trial suggest the Firehawk biodegradable sirolimus-eluting biodegradable polymer stent (BP-SES) leads to similar outcomes as traditional DESs. The JACC study randomized 1.7k patients with 2.1k lesions and found that the rate of total lesion failure with BP-SES was noninferior to traditional DESs at 12 months (3.4% vs 3.3%). Cardiac death, myocardial infarction, and stent thrombosis rates were also similar between the two groups.
- Understanding Cardiac Fibroblasts: Myocardial fibrosis is a key healing response after MI driven by activated cardiac fibroblasts, but little is known about how this critical process works. To answer this question, researchers used the [68Ga]-FAPI PET radiotracer in 40 patients and found that myocardial fibroblast activation peaks within a week of acute MI and extends beyond the infarct region. Although myocardial fibrosis declines slowly with time, it persists for years and leads to subsequent left ventricular remodeling.
- History of U.S. Healthcare: For anyone new to the industry or looking to brush up on their fundamentals, Lukas Steinbock at The Takeoff put out an opus on the history of U.S. healthcare that somehow manages to be as approachable as it is comprehensive. The full article will take a good hour to get through, but you’ll walk away having a decent grasp of how we got from lay healers during the 1800s Thomsonian movement to the industrial juggernaut that’s our current system.
- Post-Stroke Worse for Women? A presentation at ISC 2025 highlighted a serious stroke recovery disparity – women who survive a stroke experience very different post-stroke care compared to their male counterparts. The data comes from an updated analysis of the DiVERT Stroke trial which revealed that female patients were less likely to receive a cardiology referral (12.8% vs. 15.5%), as well as post-stroke cardiac monitoring (19.9% vs. 23%), and had shorter hospital stays (6.8 days vs. 7.7 days) compared to male patients.
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Cardiology AI: From Research to Clinical Practice
Explore how AI algorithms are reshaping cardiology with insights from Tempus’ recent webinar, featuring Dr. David Ouyang of UCLA and Cedars-Sinai, alongside Tempus’ Dr. John Pfeifer and Dr. Brandon Fornwalt. This expert panel dives into how AI can bridge diagnostic gaps, enhance patient outcomes, and streamline workflows for conditions like AFib and pulmonary hypertension. Read the full recap to glimpse the future of AI-driven cardiology.
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Explore Vitrea Advanced Visualization
Discover Canon Medical Healthcare IT’s suite of advanced imaging workflows designed to increase efficiency in cardiovascular imaging, and facilitate the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. These cutting-edge tools support the delivery of faster, more accurate care while integrating seamlessly into clinical workflow
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Uncover Cleerly’s Clinical Success
Interested in learning more about the science behind Cleerly’s suite of medical technologies that are revolutionizing cardiac imaging? Click here for all of Cleerly’s recently published clinical studies.
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- The Efficiency of the Kinetic Rhythms ECG Algorithm: See how you can interpret up to twenty-nine distinct rhythms by embedding the Kinetic Rhythms ECG Algorithm on your device or software suite. Ensure precise ECG interpretations regardless of whether they’re taken at the bedside or in an ambulatory setting.
- Experience the future of learning: Medtronic Academy 2.0 is here! Unlock your ultimate destination for structural heart medical education with the newly redesigned Medtronic Academy 2.0. Gain access to expert-led courses, webinars, and a wealth of resources to stay ahead in cardiovascular care. Visit now!
- Vita.ai’s Cardiac MRI Case Studies: It’s easy to claim AI improves Cardiac MRI workflows, but Vista.ai actually backs that claim up. Watch this selection of presentations and discussions with imaging experts about how Vista Cardiac delivers faster, more consistent, and reliable CMR scans.
- Addressing Coronary Artery Disease: Learn how the AGENT™ Drug-Coated Balloon provides a new treatment option for in-stent restenosis in the U.S. Rx Only. (Sponsored by Boston Scientific)
- Automated and Intelligent EP Reporting: EP ablation procedures are difficult, but your EP reporting process shouldn’t be. See how GE HealthCare’s Centricity EP Structured Reporting allows for quick, accurate, and complete reporting in as few steps as possible.
- Making the Leap to Outsource Post-Processing: Interested in how to outsource cardiac image post-processing, but not sure where to start? PIA walks you through how to assess and compare vendors, understand pricing models and payment options, and outline your requirements to identify vendors who meet your clinical needs.
- Assessing CAD with Circle CVI: Did you know that Circle CVI offers a suite of cardiac CT tools for the assessment of coronary artery disease? See how Circle combines heart function segmentation, automated plaque analysis, CAC scoring, reporting, and viewing in a single dedicated Cardiac CT package.
- Merge Still Best in KLAS: Merge Cardio and Merge Hemo continued their KLAS hot streak, ranking Best in KLAS 2025 for Cardiology and Hemodynamics for the 10th and 13th years. Discover the user enhancements and software improvements that led to Merge Cardio and Merge Hemo’s latest wins.
- Innovating AFib Care: The first manifestation of AFib is often stroke, but many hospitals aren’t set up to coordinate these patients’ post-stroke care. See how UCSD is leveraging Viz.ai’s Viz Connect solution to simplify neuro and EP collaboration in this HRX 2024 interview.
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