Plaque volume is only part of the equation that influences whether or not a MACE event occurs. In ASSURE, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) was used to assess plaque volumes. From the perspective of developing a drug to reduce cardiovascular events, plaque volume measurements are not important if they don't coincide with a reduced incidence of cardiovascular events. Therefore, 3-point MACE outcomes trump plaque volume measurements in the long run. Would IVUS measures be nice to have? Sure. But IVUS measurements are expensive and are not in the approved BETonMACE trial design/protocol. No one is saying that plaque regression is no longer important, just that those measures are secondary to reduced MACE events.

BDAZ