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AstraZeneca-Ionis drug fails to meet main goal in late-stage heart disease trial

By Thomson Reuters Jul 9, 2026 | 1:12 AM

July 9 (Reuters) – AstraZeneca said on Thursday its nerve disease drug Wainua, ​made in partnership ‌with U.S.-based Ionis, failed to meet the main goal of reducing cardiovascular deaths ‌and ​recurring heart ⁠problems in a ⁠late-stage trial.

The trial was for patients with a type of heart disease ​that let protein build-up in the heart ⁠disrupt blood ⁠pumping and possibly cause ​heart failure. Adding Wainua ​to standard care did not ‌provide a statistically significant benefit, the trial found.

Wainua is approved in more ⁠than 20 countries to treat patients with polyneuropathy, a life-shortening rare ⁠disease ‌that causes nerve ⁠damage.

In the late-stage ​trial, ‌Wainua was being tested ​in 1,432 ⁠patients compared to placebo over 140 weeks.

(Reporting by Raechel Thankam Job in Bengaluru; Editing by Janane ​Venkatraman)