Coronary Artery Bypass Graft SurgeryPhase 4NEWTON-CABGNCT03900026
Effect of Evolocumab on Saphenous Vein Graft Patency Following Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery
A Phase 4 study testing Evolocumab in people with Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery and Atherosclerosis, run by Unity Health Toronto at 22 sites in 4 countries.
Trial summary
The purpose of this study is to determine if evolocumab added to regular statin therapy improves vein graft patency after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery, Atherosclerosis, Vein Occlusion
- What is being tested?
- Evolocumab
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 782 participants
- Where
- 22 sitesin 4 countries
- Study dates
- 30 May 2019to 30 Jan 2025
- Phase
- Phase 4
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Inclusion Criteria - To be considered eligible for participation in this study, a participant must satisfy each of the following criteria:
- Age ≥ 18 years
- Scheduled to undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (with or without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB); with or without single valve repair/replacement)
- CABG procedure included/planned to include at least two saphenous vein grafts
- CABG procedure occurred within the past 21 days, or is planned within the next 60 days
- On a moderate to high intensity statin therapy (defined as atorvastatin 40-80mg daily, rosuvastatin 20-40mg or simvastatin 40mg daily) unless a lower dose, or another statin or non-statin therapy is clinically justified
Exclusion Criteria - A participant will be ineligible for participation in this study if he or she satisfies any one or more of the following criteria:
- Patients in whom additional lowering of LDL-C with evolocumab is deemed to be clinically inappropriate
- Allergy to contrast dye
- Known severe hepatic impairment (Childs-Pugh, Class C).
- Known renal disease with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 30 mL/min/1.73m2
- Recipient of any major organ transplant (eg, lung, liver, heart, bone marrow)
- Use of cholesterylester transfer protein (CETP) inhibition treatment within 12 months prior to randomization.
- Current, prior within past year, or known planned use of PCSK9 inhibition treatment
- Severe cardiovascular or concomitant non-cardiovascular disease that is expected to reduce life expectancy to less than 2 years
- Major active infection, or major hematologic, renal, respiratory, metabolic, gastrointestinal or endocrine dysfunction
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
- Women of child bearing potential who are unwilling to use proper family planning or birth control methods to avoid pregnancy. Women are considered post-menopausal and not of childbearing potential after 12 months of natural (spontaneous) amenorrhea or have had a surgical procedure such as hysterectomy which makes pregnancy impossible.
- Known intolerance or allergy to evolocumab or other PCSK9 inhibitors.
- Currently taking simvastatin >40mg/day, niacin or bile acid sequestrants
- Known latex allergy
- Inability to comply with protocol-required study visits or procedures, including administration of study drug
- Known history of cancer within the past 5 years (except for carcinoma in-situ of the cervix, stage 1 prostate cancer or adequately treated non-melanoma carcinomas of the skin)
- Participation in another investigational device or drug study which is likely to affect the primary outcome, within 30 days of planned initiation of study drug
- NYHA class IV
- Pacemaker or other implantable device implanted within 30 days prior to screening
Additional postoperative exclusion criteria:
- Received only <2 vein grafts
- Major peri-operative complications following CABG surgery (e.g. stroke, MI, renal failure requiring dialysis, or postoperative ICU stay > 5 days) prior to randomization
Trial locations and contacts
22 sites in 4 countries.
22 sites in 4 countries
Canada10 sites
Foothills Medical Centre
Calgary
University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2R8
Hamilton Health Sciences
Hamilton, Ontario
Kingston Health Sciences Centre
Kingston, Ontario, K7L 2V7
One Heart Care
Mississauga, Ontario
North York Diagnostic and Cardiology Centre
North York, Ontario
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center
North York, Ontario
Institut universitaire de cardiologie et de pneumologie de Québec - Université Laval
Québec, Quebec
New Brunswick Heart Centre
Saint John's, New Brunswick
St. Michael's Hospital
Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1W8
United States5 sites
University Hospital Cleveland Medical Center
Cleveland, Ohio, 44106
Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research
Jacksonville, Florida, 32216
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55407
Maine Medical Center
Portland, Maine, 04102
San Francisco VA Medical Center
San Francisco, California, 94121
Australia4 sites
Royal Adelaide Hospital
Adelaide
Flinders Medical Centre
Bedford Park
Monash University
Melbourne
Fiona Stanley Hospital
Murdoch
Hungary3 sites
Medical Centre Hungarian Defence Forces
Budapest
Semmelweis University Heart and Vascular Centre
Budapest
Zala Megyei Szent Rafael Korhaz
Zalaegerszeg
About this study
Official title: A Randomized Trial of Evolocumab on Saphenous Vein Graft Patency Following Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (NEWTON-CABG)
The purpose of this study is to determine if evolocumab added to regular statin therapy improves vein graft patency after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
Read the detailed description
Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is a procedure in which an artery or vein from the body is grafted to a critically narrowed coronary artery to restore flow of oxygenated blood to the heart. Statins are frequently prescribed after CABG surgery in order to lower LDL cholesterol levels and reduce the chances of coronary artery obstruction recurring. Despite this preventive measure, new vein grafts do end up becoming blocked in a significant proportion of patients. Evolocumab (Repatha®) is a recently approved medication that has been shown to effectively lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.
NEWTON-CABG is an investigator-initiated multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study of evolocumab [140mg administered subcutaneously (SC) every two weeks (Q2W)] added to statin therapy for 24 months postoperatively in a broad population of patients undergoing CABG surgery. Eligible subjects will be randomized to receive evolocumab or placebo within 21 days of index CABG. Prior to randomization, post-operative patients will be on moderate or high intensity statin therapy (atorvastatin 40-80mg, rosuvastatin 20-40mg or simvastatin 40mg daily unless another statin/dose or non-statin alternative is clinically justified). A CTAngiogram will be conducted at 24 months following CABG. Routine study visits will be done 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months post-surgery.
This study is supported by Amgen Inc.
- Being tested
- Evolocumab, Placebo
- Keywords
- Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, CABG, Saphenous Vein Graft, Evolocumab, Repatha
- Medical subject headings
- Atherosclerosis
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
EvolocumabDrug
Also called Repatha®
REPATHA (evolocumab) is a human immunoglobulin G2 (IgG2) monoclonal antibody that has high affinity binding to Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9); it will be administered via subcutaneous injection
PlaceboOther
Also called Control
Placebo cartridges will contain vehicle only; placebo will be administered via subcutaneous injection.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo Treatment | Placebo comparator | Participants will receive subcutaneous injections of the placebo Q2W (every 2 weeks) Receives: Other: Placebo |
| Evolocumab Treatment | Experimental | Participants will receive subcutaneous injections of 140mg of evolocumab Q2W (every two weeks) Receives: Drug: Evolocumab |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Saphenous vein graft disease rate (VGDR)
Saphenous vein graft disease rate (VGDR) is defined as the proportion of vein grafts with significant stenosis or total occlusion (≥50%) on 64-slice (or greater) cardiac CT angiography (CTA) or clinically indicated coronary angiography.
Measured: 24 months post CABG
Secondary outcomes (3)
The proportion of patients with at least 1 vein graft totally (100%) occluded.
Proportion of patients who have at least 1 totally (100%) occluded vein graft at 24 months post CABG.
Measured: 24 months post CABG
The percentage of vein grafts which are totally (100%) occluded grafts.
Percentage of vein grafts that are totally (100%) occluded at 24 months post CABG.
Measured: 24 months post CABG
Hierarchical composite of the following (each assessed by total wins for each treatment group and the win ratio):
- time to cardiovascular death from baseline to end of study
- time to first myocardial infarction from baseline to end of study
- time to first coronary revascularization from baseline to end of study
- number of vein grafts with 100% stenosis at end of study
- number of vein grafts with 50-99% stenosis at end of study
- number of occluded arterial grafts at end of study
- total plaque volume at end of study
- time to cardiovascular death from baseline to end of study b. time to first myocardial infarction from baseline to end of study c. time to first coronary revascularization from baseline to end of study d. number of vein grafts with 100% stenosis at end of study e. number of vein grafts with 50-99% stenosis at end of study f. number of occluded arterial grafts at end of study g. total plaque volume at end of study
Measured: 24 months post CABG
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Apr 2019
- Study start30 May 2019
- Primary completion30 Jan 2025
- Study completion30 Jan 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft SurgeryStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study of evolocumab.
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 782 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Unity Health Toronto
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Applied Health Research Centre
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- David Mazer, MD, Principal investigator, Unity Health TorontoSubodh Verma, MD, Principal investigator, Unity Health TorontoLawrence Leiter, MD, Study chair, Unity Health Toronto
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03900026
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- NEWTON CABG (CardioLink-5)
- Acronym
- NEWTON-CABG
- Status last verified
- May 2025
- First submitted
- 28 Mar 2019
- Last updated
- 29 Aug 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- Yes
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Verma S, Leiter LA, Teoh H, Mancini GBJ, Quan A, Elituv R, Verma M, Misner E, Szarek M, Thorpe KE, Saha T, Whitlock RP, Yanagawa B, Merkely B, Juni P, Koren MJ, Nicholls SJ, Bhatt DL, Mazer CD. Effect of evolocumab on saphenous vein graft patency after coronary artery bypass surgery (NEWTON-CABG CardioLink-5): an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet. 2025 Sep 20;406(10509):1223-1234. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01633-2. Epub 2025 Sep 1.
PubMed 40907505