New Partnership Aims to Foster Patient Access to Clinical Trials and Promote Diversity in Lipidology Research

Care Access, a global clinical research company helping to accelerate the future of medicine, is joining the National Lipid Association (NLA) Industry Council. The collaboration aims to enable more community-based lipidologists to participate in clinical research and create access to cardiometabolic trials for their patients.

The NLA represents doctors and other experts from around the country who treat patients at the highest risks of cardiovascular disease. Often, these patients need new therapies because the treatments currently available are not effective for them. Patients with very high lipoprotein(a) levels are a good example. Patients with high lipoprotein(a) have an increased lifelong risk of cardiovascular disease, aortic valve stenosis, coronary artery disease, heart attack, and stroke. Currently, there are no approved therapies that target lipoprotein(a), but there are several potential therapies that Care Access is helping to investigate through clinical trials.

Care Access is the first clinical research site network to join the NLA’s 2024 Industry Council, alongside biopharmaceutical sponsors Amgen, Amryt Pharmaceuticals, Esperion Therapeutics, Ionis, New Amsterdam Pharmaceuticals, Novartis, and Regeneron — organizations driving innovation in cardiometabolic health.

"At Care Access, we are committed to facilitating clinical trial access for patients from all walks of life," said Ahmad Namvargolian, Care Access CEO and Co-Founder. "Partnering with the NLA perfectly aligns with our goal of accelerating medical innovation and provides an opportunity for higher risk populations, especially those in areas without current access, to participate in the latest clinical trials.”

Brian Hart, JD, Executive Director of the NLA, echoed the sentiment: “We are delighted to welcome Care Access as a partner in our journey to enhance lipid management practices. This collaboration highlights our mutual commitment to diversity and equity, enabling more people to participate in clinical trials and benefit from advancements in lipidology research."

As part of these efforts, Care Access is offering no-cost testing for lipoprotein(a) and other cardiometabolic risk factors for participants interested in learning more about their own cardiovascular risk and about clinical trials for which they may qualify. Physicians can partner with Care Access to offer this resource to their patients.

Dr. Irving Loh, an NLA member and seasoned investigator with experience on over 160 cardiovascular clinical trials spanning the last several decades, and now a Care Access Cardiovascular Advisory Board member and Principal Investigator added, “The next generation of preventive cardiology will include taking lipoprotein(a) levels into account for every patient’s overall cardiovascular risk. For the 1 in 5 patients with elevated lipoprotein(a), there are now promising investigational therapies that lower lipoprotein(a) levels. Practices partnering with Care Access to offer lipoprotein(a) testing and access to these investigational studies for their patients will be at the leading edge of cardiovascular medicine.”

For more information about Care Access, including opportunities for physicians to participate in current lipoprotein(a) clinical trials and other cardiometabolic research, visit TrialAccessPartners.com/MD-LPa.

About Care Access: Care Access is a global clinical research company helping to accelerate the future of medicine. With a global network of over 150 research sites, Care Access supports research studies conducted by 14 of the top 15 biopharmaceutical companies. In addition to its proven track record of globally top-enrolling sites, Care Access partners with new-to-research communities and establishes high-quality research site infrastructure locally to expand access to clinical trials and increase representation.

For research sponsors, Care Access offers three core services: (1) global network of research sites, (2) community screenings to expand a study’s reach, and (3) on-demand staffing, space expansion, and training services to support all research sites on a study.

To learn more about active studies at Care Access, or how Care Access helps sponsors achieve enrollment and representation goals, visit www.careaccess.com.

About the National Lipid Association: The NLA is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary medical society focused on enhancing the practice of lipid management in clinical medicine. The NLA represents more than 2,000 members in the United States and provides continuing medical education for physicians and other healthcare professionals to advance professional development and attain certification in clinical lipidology.

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"Partnering with the NLA perfectly aligns with our goal of accelerating medical innovation and provides an opportunity for higher risk populations, especially those in areas without current access, to participate in the latest clinical trials.”