A Clinical Study of Sotatercept (MK-7962) in People With Combined Postcapillary and Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (MK-7962-041) (CHORUS)

October 21, 2026 updated by: Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Sotatercept in Adults With Combined Postcapillary and Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension (CpcPH) and Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF)

Researchers are looking for other ways to treat people with combined postcapillary and precapillary pulmonary hypertension (CpcPH). This trial focuses on CpcPH that is related to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The goal of the study is to learn if participants who receive sotatercept live longer without their CpcPH-HFpEF getting worse than those who receive placebo.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Participants will have the option to continue or start treatment with sotatercept in the extension study, MK-7962-023 (NCT06814145), after completing the End of Treatment visit.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
352

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 3

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

The main inclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following:

  • Has clinical diagnosis of HF with preserved ejection fraction on optimized guideline-directed medical therapy
  • Has CpcPH confirmed by right-heart catheterization
  • Has NYHA FC II or III

Exclusion Criteria:

The main exclusion criteria include but are not limited to the following:

  • Has a diagnosis of PH in World Health Organization Group 1, 3, 4, or 5

  • Has CV comorbidities:

    • History of surgical or transcatheter correction of mitral or aortic stenosis or regurgitation within 12 months before Screening
    • More than one valve replacement or repair (mechanical or bioprosthetic), or anticipated valve replacement or repair during the study
    • History of serious, life-threatening, or hemodynamically significant arrhythmia, long corrected QT interval syndrome, or Brugada syndrome
    • History of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, infiltrative cardiomyopathy (including, but not limited to, cardiac amyloidosis), dilated cardiomyopathy, arrhythmogenic ventricular cardiomyopathy, or restrictive cardiomyopathy

  • History or evidence of chronic liver disease

  • Has a current diagnosis of end-stage renal disease

  • History of organ transplantation (except corneal transplant) or bone marrow transplantation ≤5 years before Screening or has a life expectancy of <12 months

  • History of malignancy ≤5 years before Screening, with the exception of fully excised or treated basal cell carcinoma, cervical carcinoma in situ, or ≤2 squamous cell carcinomas of the skin

  • Has any noncardiopulmonary condition or acute/chronic impairment(s) (other than dyspnea) that limits their ability to perform the 6-minute walk test

  • Has moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea

  • Has a body mass index ≥50 kg/m^2

  • Has been treated with any approved pulmonary arterial hypertension-specific medications within 30 days of Randomization

  • Has background medication with the following agents: sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, diuretics, and beta-blockers, that is not a stable dose for ≥30 days before Randomization

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Sotatercept

Participants will receive sotatercept 0.3 mg/kg via subcutaneous (SC) injection every 3 weeks until end of study (up to approximately 37 months).
Biological: Sotatercept

SC injection administered every 3 weeks.

Other Names:
  • ACE-011
  • MK-7962
  • WINREVAIR™
Placebo Comparator: Placebo

Participants will receive matching placebo via SC injection every 3 weeks until end of study (up to approximately 37 months).
Biological: Placebo

SC injection administered every 3 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time to Clinical Worsening (TTCW)
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

TTCW was defined as time to first occurrence of any of the following events: cardiovascular (CV) death, hospitalization due to worsening heart failure (HF) or pulmonary hypertension (PH), urgent visits due to worsening HF or PH, or deterioration in exercise capacity (≥15% decrease from baseline in 6-minute walk distance [6MWD], confirmed by 2 tests) due to worsening HF or PH. CV deaths are defined as any deaths with a primary CV cause, including acute myocardial infarction (MI), sudden cardiac death, HF, PH worsening, stroke, and other CV causes.
Up to ~37 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Time to First Event of CV Death, Hospitalization Due to Worsening HF or PH, or Urgent Visit Due to Worsening HF or PH
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

CV deaths are defined as any deaths with a primary CV cause, including acute MI, sudden cardiac death, HF, PH worsening, stroke, and other CV causes. The time to first event of CV death, hospitalization due to worsening HF or PH, or urgent visit due to worsening HF or PH will be presented.
Up to ~37 months
Time to First Event of CV Death or Hospitalization Due to Worsening HF or PH
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

CV deaths are defined as any deaths with a primary CV cause, including acute MI, sudden cardiac death, HF, PH worsening, stroke, and other CV causes. The time to first event of CV death or hospitalization due to worsening HF or PH will be presented.
Up to ~37 months
Change From Baseline in 6MWD at Week 24
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 24

The 6MWD tests the distance walked in 6 minutes as an assessment of exercise capacity. The baseline value for 6MWD is the average of the 2 values collected during Screening. The change from baseline in 6MWD at Week 24 will be presented.
Baseline and Week 24
Time to the Date of Death Due to Any Cause
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

The time to date of death (all causes) will be presented.
Up to ~37 months
Time to First Hospitalization Due to Worsening HF or PH
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

The time to first hospitalization due to worsening HF or PH will be presented.
Up to ~37 months
Time to First Urgent Visit Due to Worsening HF or PH
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

The time to first urgent visit due to worsening HF or PH will be presented.
Up to ~37 months
Percentage of Participants Maintaining and/or Improving New York Heart Association (NYHA) Functional Class (FC) at Week 24
Time Frame: Week 24

NYHA FC classifies the extent of heart failure. The percentage of participants maintaining and/or improving NYHA FC at Week 24 will be presented.
Week 24
Change From Baseline in N-Terminal Pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) Levels at Week 24
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 24

NT-proBNP is a circulating biomarker that reflects myocardial stretch. The change from baseline in NT-proBNP levels at Week 24 will be presented.
Baseline and Week 24
Number of Participants Who Experience One or More Adverse Events (AEs)
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. The number of participants who experience an AE will be presented.
Up to ~37 months
Number of Participants Who Discontinue Study Intervention Due to an AE
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant, temporally associated with the use of study intervention, whether or not considered related to the study intervention. The number of participants who discontinue study treatment due to an AE will be presented.
Up to ~37 months
Time to CV Death
Time Frame: Up to ~37 months

CV deaths are defined as any deaths with a primary CV cause, including acute MI, sudden cardiac death, HF, PH worsening, stroke, and other CV causes. The time to CV death will be presented.
Up to ~37 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Medical Director, Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 26, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 8, 2030

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 14, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 18, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 18, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 24, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 21, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
October 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 7962-041
  • 2025 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • MK-7962-041 (Other Identifier: MSD)
  • 2025-524634-25-00 (Registry Identifier: EU CT)
  • U1111-1331-4324 (Registry Identifier: UTN)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

https://trialstransparency.msdclinicaltrials.com/pdf/ProcedureAccessClinicalTrialData.pdf

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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