Science News from ESC 2025

Manesh R. Patel, MD, FAHA, president-elect of the American Heart Association, and Christine M. Albert, MD, MPH, Scientific Sessions Program Committee, comment on the results of some of the top trials presented during ESC 2025.

Vericiguat Global Study in Participants with Chronic Heart Failure
Faiez Zannad | University of Lorraine, France

RESULTS: These results support the use of vericiguat in ambulatory patients with HFrEF without recent worsening.

• Read VICTOR in The Lancet
• Clinical Trials ID: NCT05093933
• Vericiguat Global Study in Participants with Chronic Heart Failure: Design of the VICTOR trial

Zilebesiran as Add-on Therapy in Adults with Hypertension and Established Cardiovascular Disease or at High Cardiovascular Risk
Neha Pagidipati | Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, NC

RESULTS: A single zilebesrian injection reduced mean office systolic blood pressure (SBP) at 3 months compared to placebo, but the difference was not statistically significant after multiplicity adjustment.

• Clinical Trials ID: NCT06272487

A randomised controlled study of personalised treatment to reduce stroke or death in atrial fibrillation
Jonas Oldgren | Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

RESULTS: Personalized treatment based on ABC-AF risk scores offered no benefit over standard guideline-based management.

• Published in Circulation
• Clinical Trials ID: NCT06272487

Duration of Dual Anti-Platelet Therapy in Acute Coronary Syndrome
David Newby | University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

RESULTS: A 3-month course of DAPT following MI may offer comparable benefits to longer treatment durations, while potentially reducing the risks associated with prolonged therapy.

• Clinical Trials ID: NCT03252249

Early withdrawal of aspirin after percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome
Pedro Lemos | Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, Sao Paulo, Brazil

RESULTS: Compared to dual antiplatelet therapy, monotherapy did not demonstrate noninferiority in reducing major ischemic events, including death at one year.

• Published in NEJM
• Clinical Trials ID: NCT04360720

Tailored Antiplatelet Therapy for Complex High-Risk PCI
Duk-Woo Park | Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea

RESULTS: Tailored therapy demonstrated no significant difference in major ischemic events, but significantly higher incidence of clinically relevant bleeding, compared to standard DAPT following complex PCI.

• Clinical Trials ID: NCT03465644

Cangrelor in Cardiogenic Shock
Zuzana Motovska | University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady, Prague, Czechia

RESULTS: Compared with crushed ticagrelor, IV cangrelor achieved immediate and effective platelet inhibition and was associated with improvements in several secondary and exploratory clinical outcomes.

• Clinical Trial ID: NCT03551964

Discontinuing long-Term oral anticoagulation after successful atrial fibrillation ablation
Boyoung Joung | Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

RESULTS: Discontinuing oral anticoagulation therapy after AF ablation in patients without atrial arrhythmia resulted in a lower risk for the composite outcome of stroke, systemic embolism, and major bleeding.

• Clinical Trials ID: NCT04432220