Many people who face a heightened likelihood of heart disease and heart attacks can take protective measures, whether by adjusting their lifestyle or starting medication. But 1 in 5 people carry a risk factor that isn’t so easily addressed. 

This gap in medicine is also a potentially massive market for drugmakers, which are advancing experimental treatments for the risk factor through late-stage trials, including front-runner Novartis.

Their target is what’s known as Lp(a) — or, as it’s commonly said, “L-P-little-A.” If you have high levels of Lp(a), it’s largely because of genetics, and there’s not much you can do about it. 

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