Novo Nordisk global observational study reveals 2 in 5 people with cardiovascular disease have cardiovascular inflammation, increasing their risk of heart attack and stroke
Dubai, 21 June 2026 – Novo Nordisk today presented new results from the landmark POSEIDON real-world evidence study at the 94th European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress in Athens, Greece. The study showed that CV inflammation remains highly prevalent among people with CVD despite current standard-of-care treatment. The study found that 2 in 5 people with ASCVD and CKD had CV inflammation, which is associated with an increased risk of major CV events2,4.
A second POSEIDON analysis recently published in the European Journal of Heart Failure showed that two in five people with heart failure also have CV inflammation1. In POSEIDON, CV inflammation was measured and defined by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels ≥2 mg/L1. hsCRP is the most commonly used and widely available blood test for measuring CV inflammation4-6.
These findings underscore a significant gap in current CV care. Even when people receive guideline-recommended treatments to control, e.g., cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, inflammation-driven CV risk persists3,7. The POSEIDON study represents one of the largest contemporary global assessments of CV inflammation prevalence in this high-risk population1,2.
“The POSEIDON study provides critical evidence that cardiovascular inflammation represents a significant source of persistent risk in people living with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease or heart failure, despite receiving standard of care treatment today,” said Filip Knop, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Novo Nordisk. “Understanding the scope of cardiovascular inflammatory risk is essential, as we continue our innovation-driven research to develop a first-in-class therapy with the potential to address this critical unmet need.”
POSEIDON enrolled 18,904 patients across 18 countries spanning Europe, North America, South America and Asia-Pacific between 2023 and 20251,2. Within the study, 13,475 patients had ASCVD, of whom 5,757 (42.7%) had CKD, while 11,809 patients had heart failure spanning across all types of heart failure (preserved, mildly reduced or reduced)1,2.
Cardiovascular inflammation plays a central role in the development and progression of ASCVD8,9. Multiple studies have shown that people with CV inflammation face an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke and CV death3-5. Inflammation also contributes to CKD progression, and CKD itself may promote inflammation, creating a cycle that amplifies CV risk9.
It also plays a key role in heart failure, and it is common across all types of heart failure, particularly in people with obesity, kidney disease and other metabolic conditions1,10.
“POSEIDON makes clear that inflammation is not a peripheral concern – it is a shared driver of risk affecting millions of patients worldwide with cardiovascular disease who remain vulnerable despite our best current therapies,” said Professor Carolyn S.P. Lam, Senior Consultant, Department of Cardiology, National Heart Centre Singapore; and Professor, Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders Signature Research Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School. “What is striking is the consistency of inflammatory signals across such diverse patient populations. That consistency points to a practical way forward – identifying patients most likely to benefit from therapies that directly target inflammation. This reframes how we should think about residual cardiovascular risk, and it underscores the promise of emerging anti-inflammatory therapies to address a real unmet need.”
The growing recognition of the role of inflammation in cardiovascular disease is reflected in recent guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the American Heart Association (AHA), and the American College of Cardiology (ACC), which include elevated hsCRP as a risk-modifying biomarker to guide more intensive preventive initiatives11,12.