Akcea and Ionis' Triglyceride-Lowering Drug Works in Mid-Stage Clinical Trial

Akcea Therapeutics (NASDAQ: AKCA) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IONS) reported positive results from a phase 2 clinical trial testing AKCEA-APOCIII-Lrx in patients with high triglyceride levels who either have cardiovascular disease or are at high risk for developing it. The results sent shares of Akcea up 11% on Wednesday, while the larger Ionis was up a more modest 2%.

In the 114-patient study, over 90% of patients taking the 50 mg once-monthly dose were able to lower their serum triglycerides to the target of 150 mg/dL or lower, while only 5% of patients taking a placebo met the goal. The patients started the study with an average triglyceride level of 285 mg/dL.

The biotech companies also noted that the drug was able to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease, including apoC-III, very low-density lipoprotein and remnant cholesterol, compared to placebo, although they didn't put numbers to the claims. The drug also increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which is the good kind of cholesterol.

Source Fool.com