7 Cardiology Headlines You Missed in April 2026

Despite a relatively quiet month from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions 2026 more than made up for the lack of regulatory news with a continued series of key trial updates. From obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (oHCM) to hypercholesterolemia, all aspects of cardiology saw significant forward movement during this conference. Additionally, updates to the ABCs of Cardiology and other guidelines in April continued the paradigm shift towards prevention that cardiology has embraced in recent months.

With so many trials reaching their endpoints, the editorial team at HCPLive has collected 7 of the most impactful headlines from the last 30 days below:

Trial Results

SCOUT-HCM: Mavacamten Outperforms Placebo in Adolescents With HCM, With Joseph Rossano, MD, MS

Presented by Joseph Rossano, MD, MS, co-director of the Cardiac Center and chief of the division of cardiology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, new data from the SCOUT-HCM trial have proven mavacamten’s efficacy in reducing left ventricular outflow in adolescent patients with oHCM compared with placebo. Additionally, of the 65 enrolled patients, adverse events occurred in only 18 in the mavacamten arm and 17 in the placebo arm, with only 2 serious adverse events in each group.

CORALreef AddOn: Enlicitide Outperforms Standard Hypercholesterolemia Drugs, With Ann Marie Navar, MD, PhD

The CORALreef AddOn trial has demonstrated enlicitide’s superior reduction of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in patients with hypercholesterolemia. The trial compared enlicitide to bempedoic acid, ezetimibe, and a combination thereof – among patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), enlicitide saw a substantially higher LDL-C reduction than all 3 comparators. Ann Marie Navar, MD, PhD, discusses the results and their implication for an expected New Drug Application.

Self-Administered Etripamil for PSVT Has Minimal Blood Pressure, Heart Rate Effects, With Narendra Singh, MD

Etripamil nasal spray, recently approved for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT), has minimal effects on blood pressure, despite a long history of calcium channel blockers leading to hypotension. Parts 1-3 of the NODE-301 trial, assessing heart rate and blood pressure changes in patients treated with a test dose of etripamil, revealed significantly lower blood pressure changes than other CCBs. Narendra Singh, MD, assistant professor at Mercer University Atlanta Campus, director of clinical research at NSC Cardiology, and co-author of NODE-301, spoke on the reassurance that this trial provides for clinicians prescribing etripamil.

Conference Updates

Reviewing the Updated ABCs of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention, With Aaron Troy, MD, MPH

The ABCs of Cardiovascular Disease Prevention has recently undergone a major update, highlighting the PREVENT equations and Life’s Essential 8. Additionally, the document now includes heart failure and atrial fibrillation, largely considered disease-focused areas rather than preventable conditions. Aaron Troy, MD, MPH, clinical research fellow at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, discusses the value of a more prevention-focused mindset in cardiovascular disease.

CADENCE: Sotatercept Reduces PVR in CpcPH-HFpEF, With Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc

Based on data presented at ACC 2026 by Mardi Gomberg-Maitland, MD, MSc, director of the pulmonary hypertension program, chief clinical research officer at the Office of Clinical Research SMHS, and professor of medicine at George Washington University, sotatercept has successfully reduced pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) in combined post- and pre-capillary pulmonary hypertension (CpcPH) heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The ongoing CADENCE trial has already shown substantially greater PVR reductions compared to placebo at week 24.

Tonlamarsen Lowers Angiotensinogen, Mixed Results for Blood Pressure, With Luke Laffin, MD

An update from the Kardinal study, provided by Luke Laffin, MD, co-director of the Center for Blood Pressure Disorders and associate professor of medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, has shown that monthly tonlamarsen successfully lowered plasma angiotensinogen in patients with uncontrolled hypertension compared to a single dose. However, it led to no additional blood pressure reduction, indicating the need for further placebo-controlled trials to determine its efficacy in single doses or a multi-dose regimen.

Obicetrapib is Safe and Well-Tolerated in HeFH and ASCVD, With Stephen Nicholls, MD

A pooled safety analysis of the BROADWAY and BROOKLYN phase 3 trials has revealed the safety and tolerability of obicetrapib in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) and ASCVD. Presented at ACC 2026 by Stephen Nicholls, MD, director of the Monash Victorian Heart Institute at Monash Health, these data indicated less new-onset diabetes, fewer adverse events, and less incidence of hypertension in patients treated with obicetrapib.