ZEUS trial finds ziltivekimab lowered inflammation but not cardiovascular events

The ZEUS trial found that ziltivekimab lowered inflammatory markers but did not reduce cardiovascular events compared with placebo in people with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and systemic inflammation. The findings were presented at the American Heart Association meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the reports said.

Among 6,376 participants followed for a median of 33 months, the primary outcome of cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack or nonfatal stroke occurred in 17.6% of those assigned ziltivekimab and 17.7% assigned placebo. MedPage Today and Healio reported reductions of 76% in free IL-6 and 64% in hsCRP at 24 months. ACC instead described the 76-percentage-point reduction as involving IL-1β. Other trials are studying ziltivekimab in different patient populations, according to MedPage Today and Healio.