Novo Nordisk presented new findings from its landmark POSEIDON real-world evidence study showing that cardiovascular inflammation remains highly prevalent among people living with cardiovascular disease despite receiving standard medical treatment, underscoring a persistent and often overlooked source of cardiovascular risk.
The results were presented at the 94th European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress in Athens, Greece, where researchers reported that approximately two in five patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) continued to exhibit signs of cardiovascular inflammation, even while receiving guideline-recommended therapies aimed at controlling cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
The findings add to growing evidence that inflammation may play a central role in ongoing cardiovascular risk, even after conventional treatment targets are met. According to Novo Nordisk, the POSEIDON study represents one of the largest global contemporary evaluations of cardiovascular inflammation prevalence in high-risk patient populations.
Cardiovascular inflammation in the study was measured using high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), a commonly used blood biomarker that helps detect inflammation associated with cardiovascular risk. Researchers defined cardiovascular inflammation as hsCRP levels equal to or above 2 mg/L, a threshold increasingly recognized in cardiovascular risk assessment.
Among 13,475 participants with ASCVD included in the study, 5,757 also had chronic kidney disease, and approximately 42.7% of these patients were found to have elevated hsCRP levels indicating cardiovascular inflammation. Investigators said this persistent inflammatory burden was associated with a higher likelihood of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular death.
A second POSEIDON analysis, recently published in the European Journal of Heart Failure, found a similar pattern among patients with heart failure. According to the analysis, nearly two in five people living with heart failure—including those with preserved, mildly reduced, or reduced ejection fraction—also showed evidence of cardiovascular inflammation.
POSEIDON enrolled 18,904 patients across 18 countries between 2023 and 2025, spanning Europe, North America, South America, and the Asia-Pacific region. The large geographic footprint and broad patient population allowed investigators to assess inflammatory risk across multiple cardiovascular disease settings and metabolic conditions.
Researchers emphasized that cardiovascular inflammation appears closely linked with both disease progression and worsening outcomes. In patients with ASCVD, inflammation contributes to plaque instability and vascular damage, increasing the risk of adverse cardiovascular events. In chronic kidney disease, inflammation and kidney dysfunction may reinforce one another, creating a cycle that amplifies cardiovascular risk.
Heart failure patients also demonstrated elevated inflammatory burden, particularly those with obesity, kidney disease, and metabolic disorders, further supporting evidence that inflammation is a shared biological driver across several chronic cardiometabolic conditions.
Filip Knop, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Novo Nordisk, said the study provides important evidence that cardiovascular inflammation represents a major source of persistent risk despite existing standard-of-care therapies. He added that understanding the scale of inflammatory cardiovascular risk is essential as the company advances research aimed at developing a potential first-in-class therapy to address this unmet medical need.
Professor Carolyn S.P. Lam of Singapore’s National Heart Centre and Duke-NUS Medical School said the findings reinforce that inflammation should no longer be viewed as a secondary issue in cardiovascular disease management. She noted that the consistency of inflammatory signals across patient groups highlights an opportunity to better identify individuals who may benefit from therapies directly targeting inflammation.
The findings come amid increasing recognition from major medical organizations, including the European Society of Cardiology, American Heart Association, and American College of Cardiology, which now recognize elevated hsCRP as a biomarker that may help guide more intensive preventive treatment strategies.
The POSEIDON results may strengthen momentum toward anti-inflammatory approaches in cardiovascular medicine as researchers and drug developers seek new ways to reduce residual cardiovascular risk beyond cholesterol and blood pressure control.