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Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD)

Cardiovascular
3
Pipeline Programs
7
Companies
8
Clinical Trials
1 recruiting
0
Approved Products

Pipeline by Development Stage

Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 1/2
Phase 2
Phase 2/3
Phase 3
On Market
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
Early DiscoveryClinical DevelopmentMarket

Drug Modality Breakdown

RNA Therapeutic
150%
Peptide
150%
+ 9 programs with unclassified modality

Cardiovascular is a $69.4B mature market dominated by anticoagulants and metabolic therapies with stable blockbuster portfolios.

$69.4B marketMature→ Stable30 products15 companies

Key Trends

  • FXa inhibitors (ELIQUIS, XARELTO) command 62% of market spending, creating limited room for new entrants
  • SGLT2 inhibitors gaining traction in heart failure indication, signaling expansion beyond traditional anticoagulation
  • Multiple patent cliffs (JANUVIA 2027, OPSUMIT 2029) create near-term revenue vulnerability but reinvestment pressure

Career Verdict

Strong choice for commercial, clinical operations, and device integration roles; limited opportunity for innovative pipeline development given market maturity.

AI-generated market analysis based on FDA, CMS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and hiring data

Market Leaders

#1ELIQUISStable
$18.3B
#2JARDIANCEGrowing
$8.8B
#3XARELTOStable
$6.3B
#4FARXIGAGrowing
$4.3B
AstraZeneca·Peak15.4yr
#5JANUVIADeclining
$4.1B
Merck & Co.·LOE_Approaching1.0yr

Drug Class Breakdown

FXa Inhibitors (Apixaban/Rivaroxaban)
$42.8B(62%)

Mature, stable revenue base

SGLT2 Inhibitors
$13.1B(19%)

Growing in heart failure and renal indications

DPP4 Inhibitors
$4.1B(6%)

Declining as LOE approaches 2027

ARBs and Combination Therapies
$3.4B(5%)

Stable in heart failure management

Endothelin Receptor Antagonists and Prostacyclin Agonists
$1.8B(3%)

Niche pulmonary hypertension market

Career Outlook

Stable

Cardiovascular careers are stable but not expanding; the market is mature, dominated by blockbuster franchises with predictable commercial cycles and patent cliffs. Professionals entering this space should expect strong compensation (Commercial $210K avg, Medical Affairs $201K avg) but limited opportunity to drive breakthrough innovation. Device company roles offer better growth trajectories than pharma, particularly in remote monitoring, diagnostics, and patient engagement technologies.

Breaking In

Target device companies (Abbott, Medtronic) for growth potential; if joining pharma, focus on Commercial or Clinical Operations roles where hiring is active and compensation is competitive.

For Experienced Professionals

Leverage cardiovascular expertise to move into medical device strategy, digital health partnerships, or adjacent therapeutic areas; R&D opportunity is limited and may require lateral moves to access innovation-focused roles.

In-Demand Skills

Healthcare economics and payer management (anticoagulation safety monitoring, cost-effectiveness)Real-world evidence generation (postmarket surveillance for FXa inhibitors)Digital health and remote patient monitoring integrationClinical trial execution in large, established patient populationsRegulatory expertise in label expansions (SGLT2 inhibitor indications)

Best For

Commercial/Sales roles (mature market execution)Medical Science Liaisons (managing healthcare provider relationships on established therapies)Clinical Operations/Project Managers (managing large Phase 3/4 programs)Regulatory Affairs (label expansion strategy, patent cliff preparation)Health Economics and Outcomes Research (demonstrating value in competitive anticoagulation market)

Hiring Landscape

$130K-$210K

Cardiovascular hiring is concentrated in device companies (Abbott 337, Medtronic 317) rather than pharma, reflecting the therapeutic area's reliance on hardware solutions and patient management infrastructure. Pharma hiring (Johnson & Johnson 261, Bristol Myers Squibb 52) is heavily weighted toward Commercial (468 roles) and Clinical Operations (296 roles), with minimal R&D investment (14 roles). Medical device integration and remote patient monitoring expertise are increasingly valued as the market consolidates.

1,386
Open Roles
5
Companies Hiring
5
Departments

Top Hiring Companies

337Growing
317Growing

By Department

Commercial(34%)
$210K
Clinical Operations(21%)
$180K
Engineering(13%)
$145K
Medical Affairs(1%)
$201K
Research & Development(1%)
$194K

Device companies offer more growth opportunities; pharma roles are high-paying but oriented toward mature market execution rather than innovation.

Competitive Landscape

7 companies ranked by most advanced pipeline stage

Sandoz
SandozAustria - Kundl
2 programs
1
PelacarsenPhase 3RNA Therapeutic1 trial
SMS messagesN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT05834673Terminated6Est. Dec 2024
NCT06813911Recruiting340Est. Feb 2028
Prevail Therapeutics
2 programs
2
Lepodisiran SodiumPhase 31 trial
RetatrutidePhase 3Peptide1 trial
Active Trials
NCT06292013Active Not Recruiting17,300Est. Mar 2029
NCT06383390Active Not Recruiting10,000Est. Feb 2029
Novo Nordisk
Novo NordiskBAGSVAERD DENMARK, Denmark
3 programs
No treatment givenN/A1 trial
No treatment givenN/A1 trial
No treatment givenN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT06322641Completed300Est. May 2024
NCT05755373Completed602Est. May 2023
NCT06589791Completed1,500Est. Dec 2024
Amgen
AmgenTHOUSAND OAKS, CA
1 program
AI-Detected CAC Notification and Care FacilitationN/A
Angeles Therapeutics
Angeles TherapeuticsCA - Los Angeles
1 program
AI-Detected CAC Notification and Care FacilitationN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT07355894Not Yet Recruiting120,000Est. Mar 2028
Novartis
NovartisBASEL, Switzerland
1 program
SMS messagesN/A
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and CompanyINDIANAPOLIS, IN
1 program
Lepodisiran SodiumPHASE_3

Trial Timeline

Clinical trial activity over time

2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
2029
SandozPelacarsen
Prevail TherapeuticsRetatrutide
Prevail TherapeuticsLepodisiran Sodium
Angeles TherapeuticsAI-Detected CAC Notification and Care Facilitation
Novo NordiskNo treatment given
Novo NordiskNo treatment given
SandozSMS messages
Novo NordiskNo treatment given

Clinical Trials (8)

Total enrollment: 150,048 patients across 8 trials

Lp(a) Lowering Study of Pelacarsen (TQJ230) With Background Inclisiran in Participants With Elevated Lp(a) and Established ASCVD

Start: Apr 2025Est. completion: Feb 2028340 patients
Phase 3Recruiting

The Effect of Retatrutide Once Weekly on Cardiovascular Outcomes and Kidney Outcomes in Adults Living With Obesity (TRIUMPH-Outcomes)

Start: Apr 2024Est. completion: Feb 202910,000 patients
Phase 3Active Not Recruiting

A Study to Investigate the Effect of Lepodisiran on the Reduction of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Adults With Elevated Lipoprotein(a) - ACCLAIM-Lp(a)

Start: Mar 2024Est. completion: Mar 202917,300 patients
Phase 3Active Not Recruiting
NCT07355894Angeles TherapeuticsAI-Detected CAC Notification and Care Facilitation

Health Enhanced Artery Risk Tracking With Widespread Implementation and Screening Effort in ASCVD (HEARTWISE-ASCVD)

Start: May 2026Est. completion: Mar 2028120,000 patients
N/ANot Yet Recruiting
NCT06589791Novo NordiskNo treatment given

A Disease Area Study on the Awareness and Perceptions of Systemic Inflammation and hsCRP as a biomARKer in Patients With ASCVD and CKD in China Among Cardiologists and Nephrologists

Start: Sep 2024Est. completion: Dec 20241,500 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT06322641Novo NordiskNo treatment given

A Study to Understand the Real-world Awareness and Perceptions of Systemic inFLAMmation and rolE of hsCRP as a Biomarker in Patients With AtheroSclerotic CardioVascular Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease Among Nephrologists

Start: Mar 2024Est. completion: May 2024300 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT05834673SandozSMS messages

VICTORION-ASCERTAIN: Implementation Study (v-ASCERTAIN)

Start: Nov 2023Est. completion: Dec 20246 patients
N/ATerminated
NCT05755373Novo NordiskNo treatment given

A Multinational Survey-based Study to Understand the Real-world Awareness and Perceptions of Systemic inFLAMmation and rolE of hsCRP as a Biomarker in Patients With AtheroSclerotic CardioVascular Disease and Chronic Kidney Disease Among Cardiologists

Start: Mar 2023Est. completion: May 2023602 patients
N/ACompleted

Related Jobs in Cardiovascular

Phase Legend

PreclinicalLab & animal studies
Phase 1Safety & dosing
Phase 2Efficacy testing
Phase 3Large-scale trials
On MarketApproved & available

Key Insights

3 late-stage (Phase 3) programs, potential near-term approvals
1 actively recruiting trials targeting 150,048 patients
7 companies competing in this space

The information on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Drug information is sourced from FDA, DailyMed, and other government databases. Adverse event data from FAERS does not establish causation. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical decisions.