Novartis, Ionis' experimental heart drug misses key goal in closely watched trial ↧ ↧ Novartis, Ionis' experimental heart drug misses key goal in closely... Novartis said on Friday its experimental drug pelacarsen did not cut the risk of major heart attacks and strokes in patients with a genetic risk factor in a late-stage trial, marking a setback to the Swiss drugmaker's efforts to revive its drug pipeline.