Abstracts released ahead of the American College of Cardiology meeting held in late March in New Orleans, along with the start of dosing near the end of January in Novartis AG’s phase IIb trial with siRNA therapy DII-235, also known as BW-20829, perked up the already-lively lipids/heart space.

Chinese researchers from Zhejiang Yangli Pharmaceutical Technology Co. Ltd. have presented data on an aldosterone synthase inhibitor, VB-19055. Inhibiting aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) could lead to a potential treatment for cardiovascular-renal-metabolic disorders.

Braveheart Bio Inc. reported positive results from an open-label randomized phase II dose-ranging study of BHB-1893 (HRS-1893) in obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Results presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session and Expo in New Orleans showed BHB-1893 treatment was associated with rapid and substantial reductions in left ventricular outflow tract gradient, the primary endpoint of the study.