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Researchers find new drug to lower stroke, heart attack risks
Researchers have found a new drug that can help lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol -- known as ‘bad cholesterol’ -- in their blood, which plays an important role in cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attacks. Named evolocumab, the drug is used alongside statins, which has been widely known to lower the LDL level.
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Named evolocumab, the new drug is used alongside statins, which has been widely known to lower LDL levels. (Shutterstock/File)
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esearchers have found a new drug that can help lower the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol -- known as ‘bad cholesterol’ -- in their blood, which plays an important role in cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attacks. Named evolocumab, the drug is used alongside statins, which has been widely known to lower the LDL level.
Based on an experiment involving more than 27,000 patients, the researchers found that an injection of evolocumab on top of statins monthly or twice-monthly could cut cholesterol levels by almost 60 percent on average in patients with an underlying risk of cardiovascular disease.
“This is one of the most important trials of cholesterol-lowering since the first statins trial [that was published] 20 years ago,” said Prof. Peter Sever from the National Heart and Lung Institute at the Imperial College London in a press release. “Our results suggest that this new, extremely potent class of drugs can cut cholesterol dramatically, which could provide great benefit for a lot of people who are at risk of heart disease and stroke.”
During the trial, the researchers recruited patients in 49 countries with a history of atherosclerotic vascular disease who were already taking statins to examine the protective effect of evolocumab. They were chosen to randomly get either injections of evolocumab or placebo injections, while also continuously received statins.
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By the end of the study, the researchers found that on average, patients who took evolocumab plus statins were able to reduce their LDL cholesterol levels by an average of 59 percent, from 92 mg/dL to 30 mg/dL, compared to other patients who took placebo and statins. This is also equivalent to a 15 percent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular occurrences for those who take the drug with statins.
"The idea is that the lower you can get your cholesterol, the better. There are a lot of people already on optimal doses of statins who have levels of cholesterol that could be lowered further," said Sever. "The question is, if you can lower them further, do you confer additional benefit? The findings show they produce almost the exact predicted benefit from extrapolating from all the other studies - as the cholesterol level goes down, you get increasing protection. What this trial shows is that if you achieve these really low levels of cholesterol, you get the additional benefit, and you get that without any apparent adverse effects."
Evocolumab itself is human monoclonal antibody that operates by blocking a protein that reduces the liver’s ability to remove LDL cholesterol from the blood, also known as PCSK9.
The treatment had been approved for use in the United States in 2016 as an addition to statins therapy and lifestyle changes to lower LDL cholesterol level in some adults with cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has considered the drugs for selected cases only. (kes)
