ICYMI: Highlights From AHA 2025 Scientific Sessions

Our top coverage from this year’s American Heart Association (AHA) 2025 Scientific Sessions included new guideline therapies and new mono-, dual-, and poly-approach targeted therapies.

These are the top 5 pieces from AHA, and you can click here for all our coverage from the conference.

5. Tirzepatide’s Dual Approach Better for MACE, HF: Stephen Nicholls, MBBS

The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®) spoke with Stephen Nicholls, MBBS, PhD, MBA, a professor of cardiology at Monash University, about his presentation at AHA regarding the dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide-1 targeted approach of tirzepatide for treating cardiovascular disease and heart failure. He described the favorable effects of the therapy that included increased weight loss and reductions in hemoglobin and blood pressure, among others.

Watch the full video.

4. POLY-HF: Polypill Boosts Heart Function, Adherence in Heart Failure

A new once-daily polypill that combined 3 guideline-directed therapies for heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction produced significantly better outcomes when compared with taking the same drugs as 3 separate pills. The presenter, Ambarish Pandey, MD, an associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, emphasized the practical implications of the polypill benefiting older populations with HF who are burdened by polypharmacy.

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3. Integrating Sotatercept Into PAH Care: Vallerie McLaughlin, MD

AJMC^® also spoke with Vallerie McLaughlin, MD, an endowed professor of cardiovascular medicine and professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School, about her presentation on sotatercept to treat patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Sotatercept, when added to PAH therapies, improves patient outcomes, even in those already on existing treatment. She also noted that clinical trial data show sotatercept, when added to PAH therapy, reduces the risk of clinical worsening and improves survival in patients with PAH.

Watch the full video.

2. 2025 Hypertension Guideline Updates Presented at AHA Scientific Sessions

The 2025 guideline updates presented at AHA refined recommendations for diagnosing and managing hypertension, including lower blood pressure thresholds and adjusted treatment targets based on recent evidence. The changes aim to improve cardiovascular outcomes and provide clinicians with clearer guidance on when to initiate therapy and how aggressively to treat high blood pressure.

Read the full article.

1. Oral PCSK9 Inhibitor Enlicitide Matches Injectables in Lowering LDL Cholesterol

Enlicitide, a new investigative oral medication, was found to significantly lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults with or at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to a phase 3 clinical trial. Lead author and presenter Ann Navar, MD, an associate professor of cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said the oral medication is a “powerful” addition to current therapies, as despite their availability, many patients struggle to meet guideline-recommended cholesterol targets.

Read the full article.