Steven Skiena

Steven Skiena asked what new evidence compelled Novartis to acquire Tourmaline and pursue the anti-IL-6 pathway, given the proof of concept established by the Cantos trial eight years ago.

Answer

CEO Vasant Narasimhan explained that Novartis understands the powerful effect of IL-1 beta and inflammasome inhibition on cardiovascular risk reduction from the Cantos study. He noted that IL-6, being further downstream, offers an opportunity to significantly impact cardiovascular risk by targeting patients with elevated HSCRP within six months to a year after an event. He believes this focused approach, leveraging learnings from Cantos, can lead to a more compelling cardiovascular risk reduction than previously observed.

Steven Skiena asked what new evidence compelled Novartis to acquire Tourmaline and pursue the anti-IL-6 pathway, given the proof of concept established by the Cantos trial eight years ago.

Answer

Vasant Narasimhan, CEO of Novartis, explained that learnings from the Cantos study, particularly understanding IL-1 beta's effect on cardiovascular risk, informed the strategy. He noted that IL-6 targets further downstream, and by prospectively targeting patients with elevated HSCRP within months of an event, Novartis aims for a more compelling cardiovascular risk reduction than the 14-15% seen in Cantos, leveraging expertise to maximize the anti-IL-6 asset's opportunity.