Coronary disease & ACSSecondary analysis

Impact of evolocumab on plaque phenotypic changes in patients with acute coronary syndrome and elevated lipoprotein(a) levels: a HUYGENS secondary analysis

Eur J Prev CardiolPublished

  • Secondary analysis of the HUYGENS randomised trial
  • post hoc analysis

Authors' conclusion

The ability of evolocumab to more effectively promote plaque stabilization, compared with statin monotherapy, appears more pronounced in patients with higher Lp(a) levels, suggesting that Lp(a) may help identify those who benefit most from intensive lipid-lowering therapy.

Study context

Population
Patients after ACS undergoing serial optical coherence tomography, by baseline Lp(a) <125 vs ≥125 nmol/LLp(a) <125: 71
Comparison
Evolocumab vs placebo by baseline Lp level

Primary result

As reported in the abstract

Change in minimum fibrous cap thickness and lipid arc, by Lp(a) subgroup · 50 weeks

High Lp(a): change in minimum fibrous cap thickness (FCT), Evolocumab vs Placebo (P < 0.001)

+51.6 ± 40.9 vs. +12.4 ± 23.9 μm

High Lp(a): change in lipid arc, Evolocumab vs Placebo (P = 0.008)

−60.9 ± 56.5° vs. −9.1 ± 70.8°

Low Lp(a): change in minimum FCT, Evolocumab vs Placebo (P = 0.21)

+45.9 ± 37.8 vs. +34.7 ± 36.0 μm

Low Lp(a): change in lipid arc, Evolocumab vs Placebo (P = 0.18)

−59.9 ± 50.1° vs. −44.5 ± 46.1°

Further findings

LDL-C, by Lp(a) subgroup

High Lp(a): Evolocumab vs Placebo (P < 0.001)
21.7 ± 10.3 vs. 94.5 ± 22.9 mg/dL
Low Lp(a): Evolocumab vs Placebo (P < 0.001)
23.3 ± 34.9 vs. 82.9 ± 46.5 mg/dL

Lp(a), by Lp(a) subgroup

High Lp(a): Evolocumab vs Placebo (P = 0.007)
156.0 (136.0, 187.0) vs. 204.0 (170.5, 290.5) nmol/L
Low Lp(a): Evolocumab vs Placebo (P = 0.01)
11.5 (5.8, 23.8) vs. 25.0 (13.5, 41.0) nmol/L

Original publication

Impact of evolocumab on plaque phenotypic changes in patients with acute coronary syndrome and elevated lipoprotein(a) levels: a HUYGENS secondary analysis. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 8 April 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf211

Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it