Alirocumab success in ODYSSEY trials for Hypercholesterolemia - Sanofi + Regeneron

Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that nine new Phase III ODYSSEY trials of alirocumab in people with hypercholesterolemia met their primary efficacy endpoint of a greater percent reduction from baseline in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at 24 weeks compared to placebo or active comparator. Alirocumab is an investigational monoclonal antibody targeting PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9).

In the nine ODYSSEY trials, the mean percent reduction in LDL-C from baseline at 24 weeks in alirocumab-treated patients was consistent with results seen in previous alirocumab trials. The nine trials included ODYSSEY LONG TERM, FH I, FH II, HIGH FH, COMBO I, COMBO II, OPTIONS I, OPTIONS II and ALTERNATIVE. All patients received alirocumab in addition to standard-of-care lipid-lowering therapy, with the exception of some patients in ODYSSEY ALTERNATIVE. The 2,341-patient ongoing ODYSSEY LONG TERM trial evaluated the long-term safety and efficacy of alirocumab compared to placebo. Both treatment groups received statins and some patients also received additional lipid-lowering therapies. The trial met its primary efficacy endpoint at 24 weeks. A pre-specified interim safety analysis was performed when all patients reached one year and approximately 25 percent of patients reached 18 months of treatment. A lower rate of adjudicated major cardiovascular events (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and unstable angina requiring hospitalization) was observed in the alirocumab arm compared to placebo in a post-hoc analysis (p-value of less than 0.05).

The potential of alirocumab to demonstrate cardiovascular benefit is being prospectively assessed in an ongoing 18,000-patient ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial. Alirocumab was generally well tolerated in the 9 ODYSSEY trials. The most common adverse events were nasopharyngitis and upper respiratory tract infections, which were generally balanced between treatment groups.