AstraZeneca and Ionis heart drug Wainua fails pivotal clinical trial

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LONDON — In a blow to its cardiovascular aspirations, AstraZeneca said Thursday that its drug for a heart disease — one that has become an increasingly competitive target for biopharma companies — failed in a pivotal trial.

The drug, called Wainua, on which AstraZeneca is partnered with Ionis Pharmaceuticals, did not outperform placebo in reducing cardiovascular death and clinical events for patients with a condition known as ATTR-CM, or transthyretin-mediated amyloid cardiomyopathy.

AstraZeneca’s U.S. listed shares were down some 8% in premarket trading, while its London-listed shares were down 9% early Thursday. Ionis shares, meanwhile, were down 12% in premarket hours.

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