Amarin defends Vascepa's CV-prevention data against supplement makers eager to cash in

Amarin spent years, millions of dollars and a lot of willpower proving its fish oil-based drug Vascepa really could cut the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems. To make that effort pay off, it needs to keep that proof to itself. That's just what the drugmaker did in settling two lawsuits with fish oil supplement manufacturers who'd allegedly co-opted the results of Amarin's landmark Reduce-It trial. And in touting its double win, Amarin said it has lawyers “on speed dial” to keep fighting off supplement makers that equate their products to Vascepa’s purified Omega-3 fatty acid formulation. As it defends itself on the rear, Amarin is pushing forward on a Vascepa label extension to highlight the Reduce-It data filed with the FDA in March. Those data showed Vascepa lowered the risk of a major adverse CV event by 26% in previously untreated patients compared with placebo, and by 30% in statin-treated patients at a median follow-up of 4.9 years.