Heart transplant patients get new weapon against hidden artery damage
NCT ID NCT03537742
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tested the drug alirocumab in 114 heart transplant recipients to see if it safely reduces plaque buildup in the new heart's arteries. The drug targets a protein called PCSK9 to lower harmful cholesterol. Researchers measured changes in artery plaque using ultrasound at the start and one year later. The goal was to prevent a condition called cardiac allograft vasculopathy, which can damage the transplanted heart over time.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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114 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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May 2019
- Finished
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Jul 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Heart Transplant recipient Exclusion Criteria: * impaired liver function
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Stanford University
Stanford, California, 94305, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a new drug combo shield young hearts from transplant complications?
- Heart transplant patients may soon skip invasive artery checks with new PET scan study
- Could early blood thinners save heart transplants?
- New methods could spot hidden heart artery disease sooner after transplant
- Blood test may spot tiny heart blockages in transplant patients
- New MRI shortcut could sharpen views of blood vessels