Everything You Need to Know From the American College of Cardiology 2025 Scientific Session

The Tell-Tale Heart podcast host Craig Beavers, PharmD, FACC, FAHA, FCCP, BCCP, CACP, was on the ground in Chicago, Illinois, for the 2025 American College of Cardiology Scientific Session. Beavers spoke with several presenters, researchers, and experts about the key data being discussed at the meeting.

The first guest of this episode, Glen Harrington, PharmD, FACC, FHFSA, BCCP, CPP, HFCert, discussed what the ACC meeting has to offer, specifically for pharmacists in all areas of expertise. As co-chair of the Pharmacists’ Work Group at ACC, Harrington focuses on supporting pharmacists involved in cardiology.

Next, Beavers spoke with Jack Pluenneke, PharmD, BCCP, who discussed findings from the REVERSE-IT trial which were presented in a late-breaking session at ACC 2025. These findings demonstrate that bentracimab, a drug developed as an antidote to the antiplatelet agent ticagrelor (Brilinta; AstraZeneca), safely and effectively reversed ticagrelor’s antiplatelet effects in patients undergoing urgent surgery or experiencing major bleeding. The availability of this option could make physicians more comfortable when prescribing ticagrelor, which, in turn, could help solve the challenge of undertreatment with antiplatelet therapy.

Beavers also interviewed Bill Baker, PharmD, FACC, who presented in a unique session about alternative treatment strategies for stable angina. These strategies can include the use of blood pressure cuffs on limbs to improve blood flow, mental health support such as therapy and its role in treatment, and—as Baker discussed—complementary and alternative medicines. This topic encompasses everything from vitamins and supplements to functional foods, light therapies, chiropractic treatments and massages, and more.

Next, guest Katherine DiPalo, PharmD, MBA, discussed late-breaking data from the FAIR-HF2 trial, which evaluated the use of intravenous iron among patients with iron deficiency and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The study found that the treatment was safe. Patients in the treatment group had a 21% lower risk of cardiovascular death or first heart failure hospitalization overall, but the between-group difference did not meet the threshold for statistical significance for this primary end point.

Several late-breaking trials discussed glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist medications, and Dan Aistrope, PharmD, discussed findings from the STRIDE trial which evaluated semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic; Novo Nordisk) in individuals with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD) and type 2 diabetes. Overall, investigators found that patients in the semaglutide arm had a median improvement in walking distance of 26 meters and an average improvement of 40 meters, representing a statistically significant 13% improvement at 1 year.

Finally, host Craig Beavers reviewed several other interesting study findings discussed at ACC 2025. The ADVANCE-HTN trial investigated the novel drug lorundrostat and its impacts on systolic blood pressure, finding a significant reduction in the treatment arm compared with placebo. Additionally, the FRESH-UP trial explored fluid restriction vs liberal fluid uptake among patients with heart failure, finding that liberal fluid intake did not harmfully impact this patient population. Finally, Beavers reviewed the secondary analysis of the FINEARTS-HF trial, investigating finerenone for patients with heart failure. This study demonstrated reduced hospital readmissions and major adverse cardiovascular events with the use of finerenone.