Theratechnologies CROI Presentation Highlights Limitations of Using BMI to Assess Cardiovascular (CV) Risk in People with HIV
Theratechnologies (NASDAQ: THTX) presented significant findings at the 2025 CROI conference regarding cardiovascular risk assessment in HIV patients. The Visceral Adiposity Measurement and Observation Study (VAMOS) revealed that Body Mass Index (BMI) alone is insufficient for evaluating cardiovascular (CV) risk in people with HIV (PWH).
Key findings from the 170-participant study showed that excess visceral abdominal fat (EVAF) is a important risk factor, with high prevalence even among those with normal BMI (43%) and overweight individuals (47%). Notably, PWH with EVAF showed higher 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk scores regardless of BMI (p=0.0019). The study also found that visceral adipose tissue area strongly correlates with pericardial fat volume (p<0.0001).
The research suggests healthcare providers should incorporate EVAF screening, such as waist circumference measurements, alongside BMI to better identify CV risk in HIV patients on modern antiretroviral therapy.
Theratechnologies (NASDAQ: THTX) ha presentato risultati significativi alla conferenza CROI 2025 riguardanti la valutazione del rischio cardiovascolare nei pazienti HIV. Lo studio sulla Misurazione e Osservazione dell'Adiposità Viscerale (VAMOS) ha rivelato che l'Indice di Massa Corporea (IMC) da solo è insufficiente per valutare il rischio cardiovascolare (CV) nelle persone con HIV (PWH).
I risultati chiave dello studio, che ha coinvolto 170 partecipanti, hanno mostrato che il grasso viscerale addominale in eccesso (EVAF) è un importante fattore di rischio, con alta prevalenza anche tra coloro che hanno un IMC normale (43%) e tra gli individui in sovrappeso (47%). È importante notare che i PWH con EVAF hanno mostrato punteggi di rischio per malattie cardiovascolari aterosclerotiche a 10 anni più elevati, indipendentemente dall'IMC (p=0.0019). Lo studio ha anche trovato che l'area del tessuto adiposo viscerale è fortemente correlata con il volume del grasso pericardico (p<0.0001).
La ricerca suggerisce che i fornitori di assistenza sanitaria dovrebbero incorporare lo screening per l'EVAF, come le misurazioni della circonferenza della vita, insieme all'IMC per identificare meglio il rischio CV nei pazienti HIV in terapia antiretrovirale moderna.
Theratechnologies (NASDAQ: THTX) presentó hallazgos significativos en la conferencia CROI 2025 sobre la evaluación del riesgo cardiovascular en pacientes con VIH. El Estudio de Medición y Observación de la Adiposidad Visceral (VAMOS) reveló que el Índice de Masa Corporal (IMC) por sí solo es insuficiente para evaluar el riesgo cardiovascular (CV) en personas con VIH (PWH).
Los hallazgos clave del estudio, que incluyó a 170 participantes, mostraron que el exceso de grasa abdominal visceral (EVAF) es un factor de riesgo importante, con alta prevalencia incluso entre aquellos con IMC normal (43%) y personas con sobrepeso (47%). Notablemente, los PWH con EVAF mostraron puntuaciones de riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular aterosclerótica a 10 años más altas, independientemente del IMC (p=0.0019). El estudio también encontró que el área de tejido adiposo visceral se correlaciona fuertemente con el volumen de grasa pericárdica (p<0.0001).
La investigación sugiere que los proveedores de atención médica deberían incorporar el cribado de EVAF, como las mediciones de la circunferencia de la cintura, junto con el IMC para identificar mejor el riesgo CV en pacientes con VIH en terapia antirretroviral moderna.
Theratechnologies (NASDAQ: THTX)는 2025 CROI 회의에서 HIV 환자의 심혈관 위험 평가에 관한 중요한 발견을 발표했습니다. 내장지방 측정 및 관찰 연구(VAMOS)는 체질량지수(BMI)만으로는 HIV 감염자(PWH)의 심혈관(CV) 위험을 평가하기에 불충분하다는 것을 밝혔습니다.
170명의 참가자가 포함된 주요 연구 결과는 과도한 내장 복부 지방(EVAF)이 중요한 위험 요소라는 것을 보여주었으며, 정상 BMI(43%) 및 과체중 개인(47%)에서도 높은 유병률을 보였습니다. 특히, EVAF가 있는 PWH는 BMI와 관계없이 10년 심혈관 질환 위험 점수가 더 높았습니다(p=0.0019). 연구는 또한 내장 지방 조직 면적이 심장막 지방량과 강한 상관관계를 가진다는 것을 발견했습니다(p<0.0001).
이 연구는 의료 제공자들이 현대 항레트로바이러스 치료를 받는 HIV 환자의 CV 위험을 더 잘 식별하기 위해 BMI와 함께 허리 둘레 측정과 같은 EVAF 선별을 포함해야 한다고 제안합니다.
Theratechnologies (NASDAQ: THTX) a présenté des résultats significatifs lors de la conférence CROI 2025 concernant l'évaluation du risque cardiovasculaire chez les patients VIH. L'étude sur la Mesure et l'Observation de l'Adiposité Viscerale (VAMOS) a révélé que l'Indice de Masse Corporelle (IMC) à lui seul est insuffisant pour évaluer le risque cardiovasculaire (CV) chez les personnes vivant avec le VIH (PWH).
Les résultats clés de l'étude, qui a impliqué 170 participants, ont montré que l'excès de graisse abdominale viscérale (EVAF) est un facteur de risque important, avec une prévalence élevée même chez ceux ayant un IMC normal (43%) et chez les personnes en surpoids (47%). Il est à noter que les PWH avec EVAF ont montré des scores de risque de maladies cardiovasculaires athérosclérotiques à 10 ans plus élevés, indépendamment de l'IMC (p=0.0019). L'étude a également révélé que la surface du tissu adipeux viscéral est fortement corrélée au volume de graisse péricardique (p<0.0001).
La recherche suggère que les professionnels de santé devraient intégrer le dépistage de l'EVAF, tel que les mesures de la circonférence de taille, en plus de l'IMC, afin d'identifier plus efficacement le risque CV chez les patients VIH sous traitement antirétroviral moderne.
Theratechnologies (NASDAQ: THTX) hat auf der CROI-Konferenz 2025 bedeutende Ergebnisse zur Bewertung des kardiovaskulären Risikos bei HIV-Patienten präsentiert. Die Studie zur Messung und Beobachtung von viszeralem Fett (VAMOS) hat gezeigt, dass der Body-Mass-Index (BMI) allein unzureichend ist, um das kardiovaskuläre (CV) Risiko bei Menschen mit HIV (PWH) zu bewerten.
Wichtige Ergebnisse der Studie mit 170 Teilnehmern zeigten, dass überschüssiges viszerales Bauchfett (EVAF) ein wichtiger Risikofaktor ist, mit hoher Prävalenz selbst bei Personen mit normalem BMI (43%) und übergewichtigen Personen (47%). Besonders bemerkenswert ist, dass PWH mit EVAF unabhängig vom BMI höhere 10-Jahres-Risiko-Scores für atherosklerotische kardiovaskuläre Erkrankungen aufwiesen (p=0.0019). Die Studie fand auch heraus, dass die Fläche des viszeralen Fettgewebes stark mit dem Volumen des perikardialen Fettes korreliert (p<0.0001).
Die Forschung legt nahe, dass Gesundheitsdienstleister das Screening auf EVAF, wie z.B. die Messung des Taillenumfangs, neben dem BMI integrieren sollten, um das CV-Risiko bei HIV-Patienten, die eine moderne antiretrovirale Therapie erhalten, besser zu identifizieren.
- Study validates the importance of EVAF screening in HIV patients, potentially expanding the market for related diagnostic tools
- Research findings could lead to improved cardiovascular risk assessment protocols in HIV patients
- None.
Study Demonstrates Excess Visceral Abdominal Fat Drives CV Risk
MONTREAL, March 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Theratechnologies Inc. (“Theratechnologies” or the “Company”) (TSX: TH) (NASDAQ: THTX), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, today presented data highlighting the limitations of using body mass index (BMI) alone in assessing cardiovascular (CV) risk in people with HIV (PWH). The study underscores the need to incorporate screening for excess visceral abdominal fat (EVAF) to better identify PWH at risk of CV disease.
In a poster presentation at the 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco, Calif., investigators from the Visceral Adiposity Measurement and Observation Study (VAMOS) characterized BMI as a poor independent surrogate for excess visceral adiposity and CV risk in PWH, particularly given the high CV risk observed in study participants with a normal or overweight BMI (“low BMI”) but high levels of EVAF. The investigators previously reported that EVAF is one of several risk factors that contribute to heightened CV risk in PWH who are on modern antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens.
“There is abundant evidence of substantial weight gain and a high prevalence of obesity among people with HIV in the modern antiretroviral era,” commented lead VAMOS investigator Karam C. Mounzer, MD, Chief Scientific Officer at Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers in Philadelphia, Pa. “Clinicians routinely use BMI as a marker to assess the risk of cardiovascular disease and other comorbidities in this population, but often overlook the importance of identifying excess visceral abdominal fat, or EVAF. Our findings not only suggest that relying solely on BMI underestimates cardiovascular risk but show a high prevalence of EVAF among patients with normal BMI which is an actual driver of such risk in people with HIV, that many clinicians fail to capture in their clinics.”
VAMOS is a cross-sectional, multicenter, observational study investigating the relationships between BMI, EVAF (defined as a visceral adipose tissue [VAT] surface area ≥130 cm2), and CV risk factors in 170 PWH who had attained virological suppression on ART for at least one year. The investigators compared 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk scores across four distinct groups:
- Low BMI (20-29 kg/m2) without EVAF (VAT <130 cm2) (n=62)
- Low BMI with EVAF (VAT >130 cm2) (n = 52)
- High BMI (30-40 kg/m2) without EVAF (n = 10)
- High BMI with EVAF (n = 46)
Unsurprisingly, obese individuals (BMI 30-34.9 kg/m2) had the highest prevalence of EVAF (
Notably, PWH with EVAF had higher 10-year ASCVD risk scores than those without EVAF, irrespective of BMI (p=0.0019). Additionally, high levels of pericardial fat volume (PFV, fat within the heart muscle) were found predominantly in participants with high EVAF, compared to those with low EVAF levels (p <0.0001). In a related finding, VAT area was more strongly correlated with PFV (Spearman r value = 0.73; p <0.0001) than with subcutaneous fat area (Spearman r = 0.2; p = 0.0109).
“In addition to providing a predictive estimate of cardiovascular risk, the VAMOS findings show a substantial, real-time impact of fat in the body, as evidenced by the levels of pericardial fat volume,” noted Christian Marsolais, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Theratechnologies. “The results also underscore that if healthcare providers focus solely on BMI, a sizeable population of normal-weight and overweight individuals with HIV and EVAF will be missed. We hope this study encourages the use of simple and more precise tools for assessing EVAF, such as measuring waist circumference, as a proven means of identifying people with HIV who are at risk of cardiovascular disease.”
About Theratechnologies
Theratechnologies (TSX: TH) (NASDAQ: THTX) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on the commercialization of innovative therapies that have the potential to redefine standards of care. Further information about Theratechnologies is available on the Company's website at www.theratech.com, on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov. Follow Theratechnologies on Linkedin and X.
Forward-Looking Information
This press release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, the “Forward-Looking Statements”), within the meaning of applicable securities laws, that are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to our management. You can identify Forward-Looking Statements by terms such as "may", "will", "should", "could", “promising”, “would”, "outlook", "believe", "plan", "envisage", "anticipate", "expect" and "estimate", or the negatives of these terms, or variations of them. The Forward-Looking Statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the use of tools to measure EVAF, such as waist circumference. Forward-looking statements involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties. Some of these assumptions include, but are not limited to, the fact that healthcare providers will rely on the data and evidence presented for screening for EVAF to better identify PWH at risk of CV disease. The Company refers current and potential investors to the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Information Form filed on Form 20-F dated February 26, 2025 available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov under Theratechnologies’ public filings for the risks associated with the business of Theratechnologies. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other risks and uncertainties carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Forward-Looking Statements reflect current expectations regarding future events and speak only as of the date of this press release and represent the Company’s expectations as of that date.
The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law.
Contacts:
Media inquiries:
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Senior Director, Communications & Corporate Affairs
communications@theratech.com
1-514-336-7800
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FAQ
What are the key findings of Theratechnologies' (THTX) VAMOS study on cardiovascular risk in HIV patients?
How does excess visceral abdominal fat affect cardiovascular risk in HIV patients according to THTX's 2025 research?
What percentage of HIV patients in the VAMOS study showed excess visceral fat despite normal BMI?
What alternative measurement does Theratechnologies recommend for assessing cardiovascular risk in HIV patients?
