Q1 2026 Recap: Cardiology News and Updates

Despite being a relatively quiet first quarter in terms of approvals from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), cardiology had no shortage of groundbreaking developments over the first 3 months of 2026. Between major trial results and substantial overhauling of guidelines, everything from heart failure and cardiomyopathy to dyslipidemia and myocardial infarction saw significant advancements. Additionally, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Scientific Sessions 2026, conducted in New Orleans, Louisiana, from March 28-30, brought with it a tremendous amount of news across a plethora of specialties.

With so much news coming out of the start of the year, the editorial team at HCPLive has put together a collection of the most impactful headlines from January to March of 2026. Catch up with any news you may have missed below:

Trial Results

OCEANIC-STROKE: Asundexian Reduces Stroke Risk Without Increasing Bleeding, With Andrew Russman, DO

OCEANIC-STROKE concluded in February of 2026, indicating the superiority of asundexian to placebo in preventing ischemic stroke in patients after non-cardioembolic ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack. A total of 12,327 patients were enrolled in the trial – among these patients, the team noted that asundexian reduced ischemic stroke by 26% with no increase in risk of ISTH major bleeding. This finding was consistent across all subgroups. Additionally, secondary endpoints highlighted asundexian’s beneficial effect on ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke with no major increase in the ISTH major bleeding rate.

RSV Vaccine Demonstrates Cardioprotective Effects, Reduces MACE and Hospitalizations, With Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH

In February of 2026, GSK published a study investigating its Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine, Adjuvanted – marketed under the name Arexvy – to display its efficacy in reducing major adverse cardiovascular events and RSV-related hospitalizations in adults over 60. The retrospective cohort study was presented at RSVVW’26, the 9th Conference of the Respiratory Syncytial Virus Foundation, and enrolled a total of 520,440 patients. The vaccine demonstrated 20.4% effectiveness in patients with existing cardiovascular disease, demonstrating its substantial benefit in preventing RSV-related cardiovascular events.

CORALreef Lipids: Enlicitide Reduces LDL-C in Patients With ASCVD, With Ann Marie Navar, MD, PhD

The final data from CORALreef Lipids were presented in February of 2026, displaying enlicitide decanoate’s efficacy in lowering LDL-C versus placebo in patients with a major atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) event. Patients across both the treatment and placebo arms displayed substantial treatment adherence across the full 52 weeks, inspiring hope among the participating investigators that the comparative simplicity of oral enlicitide will overcome prescription inertia in dyslipidemia management.

Guideline Updates

ADA’s Obesity Association Releases Guidelines for Use of Obesity Medications

On January 13, 2026, the Obesity Association, a subdivision of the American Diabetes Association, published a new section in the Standards of Care in Overweight and Obesity, discussing pharmacotherapy’s updated role in reducing weight and improving outcomes. The document spotlights weight-promoting medications for major disorders such as diabetes and hypertension, positing alternatives to avoid excess weight gain and thereby avert cardiovascular damage. Additionally, the writers emphasized the importance of intensive behavioral therapy.

Updated ACC/AHA Dyslipidemia Guidelines Incorporate LDL-C Goals, Lp(a) Focus, With Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH

On March 13, 2026, the ACC and the American Heart Association (AHA) released an updated clinical guideline for the management of dyslipidemia. The document replaced the 2018 guidelines on blood cholesterol management. The new document emphasizes the testing of Lp(a) levels as a COR I suggestion, as well as reinstating targeted LDL-C goals after years of percent LDL-C reductions to monitor patient progress. These goals are assigned based on the PREVENT risk calculator.

New Pulmonary Embolism Guidelines Highlight Progress, Encourage Research, With Mark Creager, MD

Published on February 19, 2026, the ACC and AHA put out a clinical practice guideline for acute pulmonary embolism (PE) treatment, representing the first ever published from these institutions. The guide includes a new classification scheme of 5 categories, equivalent to low to high risk of adverse outcomes. The document also encourages the use of direct oral anticoagulant medications over vitamin K antagonists in eligible patients.

Conference News

Evolocumab Reduces CV Risk in Non-Atherosclerotic Patients With Diabetes, With Nicholas Marston, MD, MPH

A secondary analysis of the VESALIUS-CV trial, presented at ACC.26, has revealed evolocumab’s capacity to reduce the risk of first major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes but no known significant atherosclerosis. The analysis incorporated a composite primary endpoint of coronary heart disease death, myocardial infarction, or ischemic stroke (3-P MACE), while another included ischemia-driven arterial revascularization on top of the previous 3. Ultimately, 3-P MACE occurred in 83 patients in the treatment arm compared to 117 in placebo, while 4-P MACE occurred in 127 in the treatment arm and 178 in the placebo arm.

LV Unloading Before Delayed PCI Reduces Infarct Size by 1%, With Gregg Stone, MD, and Navin Kapur, MD

The STEMI-Door to Unload (DTU) study may not have achieved statistical significance, but a 1% reduction in infarct size after left ventricular unloading and a 30-minute delay prior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) presents a promising path for future research. Presented at ACC.26, this trial demonstrates a significant opportunity for the therapy moving forward, as the device not increasing infarct size establishes its safety, if not its efficacy.

CHAMPION-AF: Left Atrial Appendage Closure Noninferior to NOACs

Device-based left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) was noninferior to non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) therapy for the prevention of adverse events in patients with atrial fibrillation, according to results from the CHAMPION-HF trial. Patients were given either the Watchman FIx device or an approved NOAC, after which they were administered short-term antithrombotic therapy for 3 months before transitioning to antiplatelet therapy. At 3 years, the primary endpoint – a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, or systemic embolism, occurred in 81 patients in the device group and 65 patients in the NOAC group, yielding a difference of 0.9%.