A BioCentury roundup highlights the latest blow to cardiovascular outcomes trial expectations after Novartis’ Horizon program failure, while underscoring how CVOT setbacks are shaping what targets and mechanisms are considered “winnable.” The coverage also notes that one implication of the failures is that IL-6 has been de-emphasized in the space. Separate policy and regulatory developments are also flagged, including U.S. FDA activity and CMS coverage decisions impacting cardiology pathways. Together, the package reflects a period where trial design, endpoint credibility, and mechanistic bets are under tight scrutiny. For biotech stakeholders, the key takeaway is not only the Horizon result itself, but how quickly payer and investor confidence can shift toward or away from therapeutic hypotheses once large trials come back negative.