AHA 2025 Conference Recap: 4 Late-Breaking Trials to Know

The American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana, were – as always - a hotbed for critical cardiology news. Everything from dyslipidemia to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) saw exciting new data, with plenty of critical trial results announced and upcoming therapies showcased.

Given the sheer amount of news released from November 8-10, 2025, the HCPLive editorial team has put together a list of the 4 most critical trials for clinicians to know from AHA 2025 – check them out below.

DECAF: Caffeine Consumption Does Not Increase, May Improve Atrial Fibrillation Risk

The Does Eliminating Coffee Avoid Fibrillation (DECAF) trial investigated the effect of a single cup of coffee per day on adult patients who had been treated for atrial fibrillation. Investigators noted a 39% decrease in irregular heart rhythm episode risk among patients who drank coffee than those who avoided all caffeine, which may indicate a potentially beneficial effect of caffeine on the heart. However, despite these positive results, investigators still urge caution in interpreting these data, as they have not been adjusted for multiplicity.

CORALreef Lipids: Enlicitide Lowers LDL-C as Much as Injectables, With Ann Marie Navar, MD, PhD

This phase 3 trial compared investigative oral PCSK9 inhibitor enlicitide to placebo in patients with hypercholesterolemia who either had or were at risk for ASCVD, highlighting enlicitide’s superior efficacy in reducing LDL cholesterol. In addition to reducing LDL-C by up to 60%, enlicitide saw a 53% reduction in non-HDL, a 50% reduction in ApoB, and a 28% reduction in Lp(a). The drug’s oral formulation may also make treatment adherence significantly easier compared to existing injection-based therapies.

The HCPLive editorial team spoke with Ann Marie Navar, MD, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and lead study author, to discuss the implications of these data.

CRISPR Gene Editing Therapy CTX310 Lowers LDL-C and Triglycerides in Lipid Disorders

CTX310, a one-time CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing therapy, safely reduced both LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in adults with difficult-to-treat lipid disorders in the first-in-human trial of gene editing targeting ANGPTL3. These unprecedented results, if confirmed in larger-scale trials, could present a one-time treatment for patients with lifelong lipid disorders, significantly reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. This could revolutionize a disease in which treatment adherence is often the biggest roadblock to lasting cholesterol maintenance.

VESALIUS-CV: Evolocumab Outperforms Placebo in MACE Prevention in ASCVD and Diabetes

The addition of PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab to existing high-intensity cholesterol-lowering therapy could significantly reduce the risk of a first major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or diabetes. With over 12,000 patients included in the study, investigators found a 25% lower risk of 3-point MACE and a 19% lower risk of 4-point MACE among the patients assigned to evolocumab compared to the placebo arm.