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Intracranial Atherosclerosis

Cardiovascular
2
Pipeline Programs
6
Companies
8
Clinical Trials
2 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
0
2
Early DiscoveryClinical DevelopmentMarket

Drug Modality Breakdown

Small Molecule
2100%
+ 7 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_Approaching1.1yr

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

6 companies ranked by most advanced pipeline stage

Integrated Biosciences
Integrated BiosciencesCA - San Carlos
1 program
1
Recaticimab and StatinPhase 4Small Molecule1 trial
Active Trials
NCT06902740Recruiting300Est. Dec 2028
UNION therapeutics
UNION therapeuticsDenmark - Hellerup
1 program
1
Recaticimab and StatinPhase 4Small Molecule
Acotec
AcotecChina - Beijing
3 programs
drugN/A2 trials
drug coated balloonN/A1 trial
paclitaxel-coated balloon catheterN/A
Active Trials
NCT04627870Recruiting20Est. Dec 2025
NCT01850056Completed200Est. Sep 2016
NCT04631055Completed180Est. Apr 2023
Stryker
StrykerCA - San Jose
2 programs
Wingspan Stent SystemN/A1 trial
Wingspan Stent System with Gateway PTA Balloon CatheterN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT02034058Completed152Est. Aug 2019
NCT00929383Completed82Est. Mar 2013
Angeles Therapeutics
Angeles TherapeuticsCA - Los Angeles
1 program
DoctormateN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT03208166Completed2Est. May 2018
Acandis
AcandisGermany - Pforzheim
1 program
Intracranial stenting with Credo® stentN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT05947994Completed156Est. Apr 2024

Trial Timeline

Clinical trial activity over time

2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
2028
Integrated BiosciencesRecaticimab and Statin
AcandisIntracranial stenting with Credo® stent
Acotecdrug coated balloon
Acotecdrug
Angeles TherapeuticsDoctormate
StrykerWingspan Stent System
Acotecdrug
StrykerWingspan Stent System with Gateway PTA Balloon Catheter

Clinical Trials (8)

Total enrollment: 1,092 patients across 8 trials

NCT06902740Integrated BiosciencesRecaticimab and Statin

PCSK9 Inhibitor With Statin Therapy for Asymptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis

Start: Sep 2025Est. completion: Dec 2028300 patients
Phase 4Recruiting
NCT05947994AcandisIntracranial stenting with Credo® stent

Elucidate Outcomes of Elective High-grade/Total Occlusion Intracranial Arteries Using Low-profile Self-expanding Stent

Start: Jan 2022Est. completion: Apr 2024156 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT04631055Acotecdrug coated balloon

AcoArt sICAS: DCB in the Treatment of Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis

Start: Jun 2021Est. completion: Apr 2023180 patients
N/ACompleted

ACOART Intracranial ISR Pilot:Intracranial DCB in the Treatment of Intracranial In-stent Restenosis

Start: May 2021Est. completion: Dec 202520 patients
N/ARecruiting

Pilot Study of Pre-Ischemic Conditioning for Intracranial Atherosclerosis

Start: Jun 2017Est. completion: May 20182 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT02034058StrykerWingspan Stent System

Post Market Surveillance Study of the Wingspan Stent System

Start: Dec 2013Est. completion: Aug 2019152 patients
N/ACompleted

AcoArt Ⅰ / SFA China

Start: Apr 2013Est. completion: Sep 2016200 patients
N/ACompleted
NCT00929383StrykerWingspan Stent System with Gateway PTA Balloon Catheter

An International Registry of the Wingspan™ Stent System for the Treatment of Intracranial Atherosclerotic Stenosis

Start: Feb 2009Est. completion: Mar 201382 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

2 actively recruiting trials targeting 1,092 patients
6 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.