Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., provided an update on its CARDIO-TTR study, which is on clinical hold by the FDA while London-based Glaxosmithkline plc answers protocol questions. On a call related to earnings, management confirmed that the concerns focus on platelet reductions seen in TTR patients in the NEURO-TTR study, which is fully enrolled and expected to read out in the first half of next year, noted analyst Michael Schmidt with Leerink. The compound is an antisense drug designed to reduce the production of transthyretin, or TTR, to treat all forms of TTR amyloidosis.