Amarin Corp Plc (AMRN)

[sts66]

EPA can definitely have an impact on strokes - JELIS likely didn't show it because they already had high EPA/AA levels and low Lp-PLA2 levels - that biomarker is a proven independent risk factor for CVD, and more importantly, stroke risk:

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/predict-your-risk-of-heart-attack-or-stroke/

For patients visiting the Preventive Cardiology Clinic at Cleveland Clinic, the PLAC Test is a standard tool, part of their panel of inflammation and advanced cardiovascular disease risk blood tests.

“We use it particularly for patients with intermediate risk, for whom we’re not already using the most aggressive risk-reduction efforts,” says Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Section Head of Preventive Cardiology and Rehabilitation. “If levels are elevated, we intensify preventive efforts.”

It’s a blood test that can help predict stroke risk, he notes.

“Clearly high blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke, but measuring blood pressure alone is not sufficient to capture those at increased risk,” said Dr. Hazen in a recent Parade magazine article about the PLAC Test.

AMRN measured Lp-PLA2 in MARINE, ANCHOR, and R-IT. I've mentioned it here before, but will say it again - the reason I initially got my V scrip was because I had the PLAC test done in 2013, levels were so high I had a 10x risk for stroke and 4x risk for an MI - V knocked it down to optimal range in only 6 months.

There's another relatively new test I just discovered, although I highly doubt AMRN is measuring this (Cleveland clinic didn't offer it until 2015) - the ADMA/SDMA biomarker ratio - also related to endothelial damage and may provide clues about potential for developing T2DM - my internist now tests for it (started in 2017), and it's also in the optimal range, but I don't have a baseline reference level, so no idea whether V helped it:

http://www.clevelandheartlab.com/blog/horizons-3-new-tests-to-predict-heart-attack-and-stroke-risk/

ADMA/SDMA biomarker test.

What it checks: Now available through Cleveland HeartLab (CHL) this blood test measures levels of symmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA).

Potential benefits: “As recently reported, elevated levels of ADMA/SDMA can indicate damage to the endothelium (the inner lining of blood vessels) and are also an independent predictor of heart attack risk,” says Dr. Doneen. When the endothelium is damaged, LDL (bad) cholesterol particles can invade the artery wall and clump into plaque, which could lead to a heart attack or stroke. Endothelial damage also raises risk for kidney failure.

The ADMA/SDMA test may reveal the underlying cause of high blood pressure and vascular inflammation. As a groundbreaking 2002 study demonstrated, high levels of ADMA/SMDA can be an early warning sign of insulin resistance, the root cause of both type 2 diabetes and about 70 percent of heart attacks, adds Dr. Doneen. The test may also identify people with pre-diabetes/undiagnosed diabetes, reduced kidney function, and early signs of CVD.