Global pharma giant Novo Nordisk has unveiled striking new real-world evidence from its landmark POSEIDON study, revealing a major blind spot in contemporary cardiovascular care: persistent inflammation in high-risk patients despite standard treatment.

 

The study found that cardiovascular (CV) inflammation remains widespread among people with established cardiovascular disease. “2 in 5 people with ASCVD and CKD had CV inflammation, which is associated with an increased risk of major CV events2,4.”

 

A parallel POSEIDON analysis, recently published in the European Journal of Heart Failure, reinforces the concern. It reports that “two in five people with heart failure also have CV inflammation1.” In the study, inflammation was defined using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels of ≥2 mg/L, a widely used clinical marker.

 

The findings point to a critical gap in care: even when patients are treated according to current guidelines for cholesterol, blood pressure, and glucose control, inflammation-linked cardiovascular risk continues to persist. 

 

POSEIDON is among the largest global datasets to quantify this residual inflammatory burden, enrolling 18,904 patients across 18 countries between 2023 and 2025.

 

Within the cohort, 13,475 patients had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), and 42.7% also had chronic kidney disease (CKD). Meanwhile, 11,809 patients were living with heart failure across all major subtypes.

 

Experts say the implications are significant.

 

“The POSEIDON study provides critical evidence that cardiovascular inflammation represents a significant source of persistent risk in people living with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease or heart failure, despite receiving standard of care treatment today,” said Filip Knop, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Novo Nordisk. 

 

“Understanding the scope of cardiovascular inflammatory risk is essential, as we continue our innovation-driven research to develop a first-in-class therapy with the potential to address this critical unmet need."

 

The science behind the findings underscores the biological weight of inflammation in cardiovascular disease. It is a key driver of atherosclerosis, contributes to worsening kidney function, and is strongly linked to major adverse cardiovascular events including heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death. 

 

It also appears consistently across heart failure populations, particularly in patients with obesity, metabolic disease, and kidney dysfunction.

 

Professor Carolyn SP Lam emphasized the clinical significance of these patterns.

 

“POSEIDON makes clear that inflammation is not a peripheral concern – it is a shared driver of risk affecting millions of patients worldwide with cardiovascular disease who remain vulnerable despite our best current therapies," she said. 

 

"What is striking is the consistency of inflammatory signals across such diverse patient populations. That consistency points to a practical way forward – identifying patients most likely to benefit from therapies that directly target inflammation. 

 

"This reframes how we should think about residual cardiovascular risk, and it underscores the promise of emerging anti-inflammatory therapies to address a real unmet need."