The Novo Nordisk study POSEIDON – including 18,904 patients across 18 countries – showed that cardiovascular (CV) inflammation remains highly prevalent among people with cardiovascular disease (CVD), despite current standard of care treatment1,2In fact, two in five people with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), or heart failure, have CV inflammation1,2This matters because CV inflammation is an independent risk factor for CV events, such as heart attack and stroke, in people living with CVD, and it shows a significant gap in CV care globally3
Bagsværd, Denmark, 26 May 2026 – Novo Nordisk today presented new results from the landmark POSEIDON real-world evidence study at the 94th European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) Congress in Athens, Greece. The study showed that CV inflammation remains highly prevalent among people with CVD despite current standard-of-care treatment. The study found that 2 in 5 people with ASCVD and CKD had CV inflammation, which is associated with an increased risk of major CV events2,4.
A second POSEIDON analysis recently published in the European Journal of Heart Failure showed that two in five people with heart failure also have CV inflammation1. In POSEIDON, CV inflammation was measured and defined by high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels ≥2 mg/L1. hsCRP is the most commonly used and widely available blood test for measuring CV inflammation4-6.
These findings underscore a significant gap in current CV care. Even when people receive guideline-recommended treatments to control, e.g., cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar, inflammation-driven CV risk persists3,7. The POSEIDON study represents one of the largest contemporary global assessments of CV inflammation prevalence in this high-risk population1,2.
“The POSEIDON study provides critical evidence that cardiovascular inflammation represents a significant source of persistent risk in people living with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney disease or heart failure, despite receiving standard of care
