Does Lp(a) still matter as a marker of heart health? Doctors have only recently begun screening for it. Earlier this year, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association released guidelines that every adult should have their Lp(a) levels measured. It's a blood test that's done once because levels are fixed and don't change over time. Experts stress that Lp(a) remains an important and valuable indicator of heart disease risk, even though the Horizon study failed to show any health benefit to driving down Lp(a) levels. "None of that invalidates Lp(a) as a robust marker of cardiovascular disease risk," said Dr. John Wilkins, a cardiologist at Northwestern Medicine and a professor in the division of cardiology at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Wilkins was also one of the authors of the Lp(a) guidelines. "It's still worth testing for Lp(a) because it can help identify individuals with a higher probability of an event, and we do have other interventions that can help reduce their risk," Wilkins said. "It's just that at present, at least with this particular drug in this particular group of patients, we did not see benefit. That doesn't mean that we might not find something or some way to lower Lp(a) that reduces risk. We just need more science to figure that out." UCLA's Watson and Vanderbilt's Doran agreed. "We have really good data to show that Lp(a) levels are predictive of disease," Doran said. "People who have high Lp(a) need to be aware of that in order to pursue aggressive prevention strategies." What's next in treating Lp(a)? No further study of pelacarsen is planned, Nissen said, but similar drugs are in the pipeline: Eli Lilly's lepodisiran, Amgen's olpasiran and Silence Therapeutics' zerlasiran. All are injections that work by blocking the liver's ability to produce Lp(a), but use different approaches. Pelacarsen is what's known as an antisense oligonucleotide. The others use a technology called small interfering RNA, or siRNA, and may have fewer side effects, such as injection site reactions, Nissen said, than pelacarsen. Like pelacarsen, all reduce Lp(a). Clinical trials to show whether they have any real-world heart health effects are ongoing. Eli Lilly is also studying an oral drug called muvalaplin, and CRISPR gene-editing technology designed to permanently switch off the gene that produces Lp(a) is in early development. "I'm still so hopeful," Doran said. "We're going to get it in the end." Erika Edwards is a health and medical news writer and reporter for NBC News and "TODAY."

Eli Lilly's retatrutide trials signal innovation. Sponsored By: Direxion Bull or bear, sector or single stock, Direxion offers 80+ leveraged and inverse ETFs built for active traders. Pick a side, pick a size, trade the setup. Daily-objective products. High risk involved. View all Direxion Leveraged & Inverse ETFs. Unpacking Lilly's latest rheumatology innovations. Lilly's taking the stage at ACR Convergence 2026 with a potent arsenal of data that's got folks buzzing. The company's put the pedal to the metal on understanding the intertwining chords of obesity and rheumatologic conditions, and boy, are they not messing around. Retatrutide: A triple threat in the making. Headlining the conference is retatrutide - a triple hormone receptor agonist that's showing some eyebrow-raising results in addressing knee osteoarthritis and obesity. According to the Phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 and 4 trials, patients on retatrutide saw their knee pain dropped by an average of over 4 points on a 0-10 scale. The kicker? A chunk of these patients ended the trials with no knee pain. Talk about a light at the end of the tunnel. The trials had folks reducing pain by nearly 75%. That's serious pain relief, no kidding. Taltz and Zepbound: doubling down on psoriatic arthritis. Now, turn the page to Lilly's dynamic duo - Taltz and Zepbound. In the Phase 3b TOGETHER-PsA study, the combo outperformed Taltz alone in controlling psoriatic arthritis, particularly for those struggling with obesity. The numbers are showing a steady upward climb in improved disease activity, patient-reported outcomes, and metabolic targets over 52 weeks. A closer look at the data. At 52 weeks, patients receiving both Taltz and Zepbound enjoyed nearly three times the rate of significant disease control compared to those on Taltz alone. That ain't small potatoes. It's a robust case for looking at integrated treatment strategies in patients juggling obesity with their arthritis. The bigger picture: addressing comorbidities. This all ties into a broader narrative about the complex landscape of treating multi-faceted health conditions. Nearly 80% of knee osteoarthritis patients and a hefty 65% with psoriatic arthritis are dealing with the extra baggage of obesity. It isn't just a footnote in their medical history - it's a logistical nightmare impacting their treatment outcomes. Lilly's aggressive approach to immunometabolic health seeks to tackle this root intertwining head-on, with real-world modeling pushing their narrative forward. Investment perspective. So what does this mean for investors eyeing NYSE:LLY? It paints a picture of strategic foresight. Lilly isn't just playing the long game; they're setting up a board with pieces that redefine patient care paradigms. The research from these presentations could potentially translate into market confidence, given the reducing pain and weight issues benefits. Expanding into comprehensive solutions in this niche is reshaping expectations - and that's an investor's dream. * Significant reductions in knee pain and weight: Retatrutide's Phase 3 trials are delivering real results. * Strong partnership approach: Taltz and Zepbound showing marked improvement in standard therapies. * Strategic alignment: Addressing obesity alongside arthritis is fundamentally smart business. Keep an eye on how these trials pan out in the future - it's a picture of health that's still developing.