Benzinga | Mar 29, 2021 07:28AM EDT

Amarin's Vascepa Recommended By Canadian Cardiovascular Society For Prevention Of Cardiovascular Diseases

HLS Therapeutics Inc announced the Canadian Cardiovascular Society had included icosapent ethyl (Vascepa) in 2021 Guidelines for the Management of Dyslipidemia for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Adults, published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

* HLS in-licensed the exclusive rights to Vascepa for the Canadian market from Amarin Corporation Plc (NASDAQ: AMRN).

* The guideline authors recommend using icosapent ethyl to lower the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or with diabetes and CVD risk factors, who have an elevated fasting triglyceride level between 1.5-5.6 mmol/L despite treatment with maximally tolerated statin therapy.

* The Guidelines specifically did not recommend using over-the-counter omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplements. They specified the lack of CV benefit of omega-3 fatty acids from dietary sources or other formulations/supplements.

* The Guidelines state: "As icosapent ethyl is a purified form of ethyl EPA, the results of REDUCE-IT cannot be extrapolated to other non-prescription omega-3 fatty acids, which typically contain a mixture of EPA and docosahexaenoic acid."

* Price Action: AMRN shares are trading 1.5% higher at $6.15 in premarket trading on the last check Monday.