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    Olpasiran

    Medium Evidence

    An investigational, once-every-12-weeks injectable small interfering RNA (siRNA) from Amgen that lowers lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] by up to ~97% by silencing the LPA gene in the liver. Its Phase 3 OCEAN(a)-Outcomes cardiovascular outcomes trial (~7,000 patients) is one of the pivotal readouts — due December 2026 — that will help decide whether lowering Lp(a) prevents heart attacks and strokes.

    AliasesAMG 890+3 more
    EvidenceMedium Evidence
    Last Updated 2026-08-06
    Reading Time 4 min

    What It Is

    Olpasiran (AMG 890) is a GalNAc-conjugated small interfering RNA (siRNA) being developed by Amgen to lower lipoprotein(a) — usually written Lp(a) — 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. Where the antisense oligonucleotide pelacarsen and the siRNAs lepodisiran and zerlasiran all attack the same target, olpasiran works through the RNA-interference pathway: a sugar tag (GalNAc, N-acetylgalactosamine) delivers the double-stranded siRNA to liver cells, where it engages the RISC (RNA-induced silencing complex) to catalytically degrade the messenger RNA for apolipoprotein(a) — the LPA gene product that defines the Lp(a) particle. Because RISC recycles, a single dose keeps suppressing apo(a) production for months, which is why olpasiran is given as a subcutaneous injection only once every 12 weeks. In the Phase 2 OCEAN(a)-DOSE trial (281 patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and Lp(a) above 150 nmol/L), olpasiran produced dramatic, durable reductions: the 75 mg every-12-week dose lowered Lp(a) by roughly 97% (placebo-adjusted) at 36 weeks, with higher doses reaching similar near-total suppression, and the effect persisted well after dosing stopped. Those results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2022. The pivotal Phase 3 OCEAN(a)-Outcomes trial (NCT05581303) enrolled about 7,000 patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and Lp(a) of at least 200 nmol/L into a global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study testing whether 225 mg of olpasiran every 12 weeks reduces major coronary events — a composite of coronary heart disease death, myocardial infarction, or urgent coronary revascularization. The trial began in December 2022, is now active and no longer recruiting, and is expected to read out around December 2026 — placing it alongside pelacarsen's Lp(a)HORIZON among the landmark cardiovascular catalysts of the year. Amgen has also begun an imaging substudy using coronary CT angiography (NCT07293260) to examine effects on plaque. Olpasiran is investigational and not approved anywhere; it is a clinical-stage prescription biologic, not a supplement or research chemical.

    Also known as: AMG 890, ARO-LPA, Lp(a)-lowering siRNA, apolipoprotein(a) siRNA

    Regulatory Status

    Investigational — not approved

    Olpasiran is not approved for any use anywhere. It is being evaluated in the pivotal Phase 3 OCEAN(a)-Outcomes cardiovascular outcomes trial (NCT05581303; ~7,000 patients with established ASCVD and Lp(a) >= 200 nmol/L; 225 mg subcutaneously every 12 weeks vs placebo), which began in December 2022 and is expected to read out around December 2026. The primary endpoint is a composite of coronary heart disease death, myocardial infarction, and urgent coronary revascularization. A coronary CT angiography imaging trial (NCT07293260) is also underway. Developed by Amgen.

    Effective: 2026

    View FDA Source

    Why Researchers Study It

    Olpasiran is one of a small handful of therapies that can do something no established drug can: dramatically and durably lower lipoprotein(a), an inherited cardiovascular risk factor that statins and PCSK9 inhibitors barely touch. Researchers study it both as a potential first-in-class treatment for the ~20% of people born with high Lp(a) and as a key test of the field's central, still-unproven hypothesis — that lowering Lp(a) actually prevents heart attacks and strokes. Its Phase 3 OCEAN(a)-Outcomes trial is, alongside pelacarsen's Lp(a)HORIZON, one of the first cardiovascular outcomes trials for any Lp(a)-lowering drug, and because it uses the RNA-interference mechanism it also serves as a bellwether for the siRNA arm of the class (which includes lepodisiran and zerlasiran). A positive readout would validate Lp(a) as a modifiable target and a quarterly injection as a practical way to reach it; a null result would reshape how the field thinks about the risk factor.

    Proposed Mechanisms

    • GalNAc-conjugated small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivered selectively to hepatocytes
    • Loads into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC), which catalytically cleaves apolipoprotein(a) [LPA] messenger RNA in the liver
    • Suppresses apo(a) synthesis so the liver assembles far fewer Lp(a) particles, lowering circulating Lp(a) by up to ~97%
    • Catalytic, recycling RISC mechanism yields prolonged suppression, enabling once-every-12-weeks subcutaneous dosing
    • Aims to reduce the atherogenic, pro-inflammatory, and pro-thrombotic cardiovascular risk carried by Lp(a) independent of LDL cholesterol

    Evidence Snapshot

    Medium Evidence
    Low
    Medium
    High
    Study Type Model Outcome Link
    Phase 2 (OCEAN(a)-DOSE, dose-finding, NCT04270760) 281 adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and Lp(a) > 150 nmol/L; olpasiran 10/75/225 mg every 12 weeks (and 225 mg every 24 weeks) vs placebo, subcutaneous Dramatic, durable Lp(a) lowering; the 75 mg every-12-week dose reduced Lp(a) by ~97% (placebo-adjusted) at 36 weeks, with higher doses reaching similar near-total suppression. Published in NEJM (2022) Source
    Phase 2 extension (off-treatment durability) OCEAN(a)-DOSE participants followed after the last dose Lp(a) lowering persisted for months after dosing stopped (e.g., ~76% placebo-adjusted reduction still present ~24 weeks post-dose for the 75 mg arm), consistent with the catalytic siRNA mechanism and quarterly dosing Source
    Phase 3 (OCEAN(a)-Outcomes, cardiovascular outcomes, NCT05581303) ~7,000 adults with established ASCVD and Lp(a) >= 200 nmol/L; 225 mg every 12 weeks vs placebo — global, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Tests whether lowering Lp(a) reduces a composite of coronary heart disease death, myocardial infarction, and urgent coronary revascularization. Started December 2022; active, not recruiting; topline expected December 2026 Source

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    Safety & Cautions

    • Investigational — not approved for any use anywhere; whether its ~97% Lp(a) lowering translates into fewer cardiovascular events is exactly what the pending OCEAN(a)-Outcomes trial (readout ~December 2026) is designed to test
    • Robust Lp(a) reduction is well established, but cardiovascular outcome benefit has not yet been demonstrated for any Lp(a)-lowering drug
    • A prescription clinical-stage biologic given by subcutaneous injection under medical supervision — not a supplement, nootropic, or research chemical
    • Any 'olpasiran', 'AMG 890', or 'ARO-LPA' 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. [1] Nissen SE et al. — Olpasiran for Lowering Lipoprotein(a) in ASCVD (OCEAN(a)-DOSE Phase 2), New England Journal of Medicine (2022) PubMed
    2. [2] OCEAN(a)-Outcomes — Olpasiran Trials of Cardiovascular Events and Lipoprotein(a) Reduction (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05581303) PubMed
    3. [3] Amgen Presents Late-Breaking Phase 2 Olpasiran Data at ESC 2023 PubMed
    4. [4] Off-Treatment Effects of Olpasiran on Lp(a) Lowering: OCEAN(a)-DOSE Extension Results (PubMed) PubMed
    5. [5] Lipoprotein(a): An Independent Risk Factor for CV Disease — American College of Cardiology PubMed

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