Muvalaplin
Medium EvidenceThe first oral, small-molecule inhibitor of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] formation, from Eli Lilly. Instead of silencing a gene, muvalaplin is a once-daily pill that physically blocks apolipoprotein(a) from binding apolipoprotein B — the first step in building an Lp(a) particle. In its Phase 2 KRAKEN trial (published in JAMA, 2024) it cut Lp(a) by up to ~86% (placebo-adjusted) and, as of 2026, is the only Lp(a)-lowering drug that is both oral and already enrolling a large Phase 3 cardiovascular outcomes trial (MOVE-Lp(a)).
What It Is
Muvalaplin (formerly LY3473329) is an investigational once-daily oral small molecule from Eli Lilly and the first drug of any kind designed to lower lipoprotein(a) — written Lp(a) — without an injection. Lp(a) is a genetically determined, independent, causal risk factor for heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery disease, and calcific aortic valve stenosis that affects roughly one in five people and cannot be meaningfully lowered by diet, exercise, statins, or PCSK9 inhibitors. Every other advanced Lp(a)-lowering therapy — the siRNAs olpasiran, lepodisiran, and zerlasiran and the antisense oligonucleotide pelacarsen — works inside liver cells to shut off the LPA gene and is given by subcutaneous injection. Muvalaplin takes a fundamentally different approach: it does not touch the gene at all. An Lp(a) particle is assembled when apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)] latches onto the apolipoprotein B (apoB) of an LDL-like particle. Muvalaplin is a multivalent (trimeric) small molecule that binds the kringle IV domains of apo(a) and blocks that initial apo(a)–apoB handshake, so the Lp(a) particle is never built in the first place. Because it is an oral pill rather than a gene-silencing injection, it is the most patient-convenient candidate in the class. In the first-in-human Phase 1 trial (114 healthy adults, published in JAMA in 2023) muvalaplin lowered Lp(a) by up to ~65% over 14 days of dosing with no tolerability concerns. The pivotal Phase 2 KRAKEN trial (NCT05563246; 233 adults with Lp(a) ≥175 nmol/L and high cardiovascular risk, randomized to 10 mg, 60 mg, or 240 mg daily or placebo) produced placebo-adjusted Lp(a) reductions of 47.6% (10 mg), 81.7% (60 mg), and 85.8% (240 mg) at week 12, with the two higher doses also significantly lowering apoB; results were presented as a late-breaker at the American Heart Association 2024 Scientific Sessions (Nov 18, 2024, presented by Stephen J. Nicholls) and published simultaneously in JAMA. Because muvalaplin forms apo(a)-containing complexes that can confuse conventional Lp(a) tests, KRAKEN measured Lp(a) with a novel intact-particle assay in addition to a standard one. Eli Lilly has since advanced muvalaplin into the pivotal Phase 3 MOVE-Lp(a) cardiovascular outcomes trial (NCT07157774; ~10,450 adults with elevated Lp(a) and established or high risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease), which is enrolling as of 2025 with results expected later this decade. That makes muvalaplin, as of 2026, the only Lp(a)-lowering agent that is both oral and already in a large outcomes trial — unlike zerlasiran, whose Phase 3 is on hold pending a partner. Muvalaplin is investigational and not approved anywhere; it is a clinical-stage prescription medicine, not a supplement or research chemical.
Regulatory Status
Muvalaplin (LY3473329) is not approved for any use anywhere. Its Phase 2 KRAKEN trial (NCT05563246; 233 adults with Lp(a) ≥175 nmol/L and high cardiovascular risk) is complete and was published in JAMA (2024), showing up to ~86% placebo-adjusted Lp(a) reduction at 12 weeks with no safety concerns; the first-in-human Phase 1 study was published in JAMA (2023). Eli Lilly has advanced muvalaplin into the pivotal Phase 3 MOVE-Lp(a) cardiovascular outcomes trial (NCT07157774; ~10,450 patients), enrolling as of 2025 with results expected later this decade. Developed by Eli Lilly and Company.
Effective: 2026
View FDA SourceWhy Researchers Study It
Muvalaplin is the first — and so far only — oral drug that can dramatically lower lipoprotein(a), an inherited cardiovascular risk factor that statins and PCSK9 inhibitors barely touch and that otherwise requires injectable gene-silencing therapies. Its distinguishing feature within the Lp(a)-lowering class is its mechanism and route: rather than shutting off the LPA gene inside the liver like the siRNAs and antisense oligonucleotide, it is a once-daily small-molecule pill that physically blocks the apo(a)–apoB interaction so the Lp(a) particle is never assembled. Researchers study it as part of the field's central, still-unproven test — whether lowering Lp(a) actually prevents heart attacks and strokes — and because an oral option could reach far more people than periodic injections if that hypothesis is confirmed. Muvalaplin also raised a practical measurement question the whole field must grapple with: because the drug creates apo(a) complexes, conventional Lp(a) assays can misread its effect, so trials use a novel intact-Lp(a) assay.
Proposed Mechanisms
- Oral, multivalent (trimeric) small molecule that binds the kringle IV domains of apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)]
- Blocks the initial apo(a)–apolipoprotein B (apoB) interaction — the first step of Lp(a) particle assembly
- Prevents formation of new Lp(a) particles rather than silencing the LPA gene, so it works without an injection
- Lowers circulating Lp(a) by up to ~86% (placebo-adjusted) and can also reduce apoB at higher doses
- Aims to reduce the atherogenic, pro-inflammatory, and pro-thrombotic cardiovascular risk carried by Lp(a) independent of LDL cholesterol
Evidence Snapshot
| Study Type | Model | Outcome | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 2 (KRAKEN, NCT05563246) | 233 adults with Lp(a) ≥175 nmol/L and ASCVD, diabetes, or familial hypercholesterolemia; muvalaplin 10, 60, or 240 mg once daily vs placebo | Placebo-adjusted Lp(a) reductions of 47.6% (10 mg), 81.7% (60 mg), and 85.8% (240 mg) at week 12; 60 and 240 mg doses also significantly lowered apoB; well tolerated. Presented at AHA 2024 and published in JAMA (2024) | Source |
| Phase 1 (first-in-human, single/multiple ascending dose) | 114 healthy adults; single and 14-day multiple ascending oral doses of muvalaplin | Up to ~65% placebo-adjusted Lp(a) reduction after 14 days of daily dosing with no tolerability concerns; established proof of concept. Published in JAMA (2023) | Source |
| Phase 3 (MOVE-Lp(a), NCT07157774) — ongoing | ~10,450 adults with elevated Lp(a) and established or high risk of ASCVD; muvalaplin once daily vs placebo, cardiovascular outcomes | Tests whether lowering Lp(a) with an oral agent reduces major adverse cardiovascular events; enrolling as of 2025, results expected later this decade | Source |
Commonly Discussed Benefits
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Safety & Cautions
- Investigational — not approved for any use anywhere; whether its large Lp(a) lowering translates into fewer cardiovascular events is being tested in the ongoing Phase 3 MOVE-Lp(a) outcomes trial and is not yet known
- Robust Lp(a) reduction is well established for muvalaplin, but cardiovascular outcome benefit has not yet been demonstrated for any Lp(a)-lowering drug
- Because muvalaplin forms apo(a)-containing complexes, conventional Lp(a) blood tests can misread its effect; trials use a novel intact-Lp(a) assay
- A prescription clinical-stage medicine taken as a daily oral pill under medical supervision — not a supplement, nootropic, or research chemical
- Any 'muvalaplin' or 'LY3473329' offered by a vendor is unverified and not a legitimate source of this investigational medicine
- Targets Lp(a) and is NOT interchangeable with LDL-lowering statins or PCSK9 inhibitors, which do not meaningfully lower Lp(a)
Comparisons
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Citations
- [1] Nicholls SJ, et al. — Muvalaplin, an Oral Small-Molecule Inhibitor of Lipoprotein(a) Formation: KRAKEN Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA (2024) PubMed
- [2] Nicholls SJ, et al. — Muvalaplin, an Oral Small Molecule Inhibitor of Lipoprotein(a) Formation: A Randomized Clinical Trial (Phase 1), JAMA (2023) PubMed
- [3] KRAKEN — A Study of LY3473329 (Muvalaplin) in Adults With Elevated Lipoprotein(a) at High Risk for Cardiovascular Events (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05563246) PubMed
- [4] MOVE-Lp(a) — Assessing the Impact of Muvalaplin on Major Cardiovascular Events in Adults With Elevated Lipoprotein(a) (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07157774) PubMed
- [5] Lilly's muvalaplin lowered lipoprotein(a) levels by up to 85% at the highest tested dose — Eli Lilly (2024) PubMed
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