- NEW DELHI — An
international team of researchers found that a cholesterol-lowering drug may
offer a more effective and convenient way to protect people at high risk of
heart attack and stroke.
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- The study led by researchers at Monash University in
Australia tested a once-daily oral medication called Obicetrapib and found it
significantly lowered both LDL or bad cholesterol and lipoprotein(a), [Lp(a)]
-- two key contributors to cardiovascular disease.
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- The findings marked an important step forward for patients
who have struggled to reach their cholesterol targets with current therapies,
said study lead Professor Stephen Nicholls, Director of Monash University's
Victorian Heart Institute.
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- "We know that many people at high risk of heart attack
or stroke don't get their cholesterol levels low enough, even on the best
available treatments," Nicholls said.
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- "Obicetrapib offers a promising new option-not only did
it lower LDL cholesterol by over 30 per cent, but we also saw a reduction in
Lp(a), which is much harder to treat and has been linked to increased heart
disease risk," he added.
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- LDL cholesterol, often referred to as "bad
cholesterol," builds up in blood vessels and increases the risk of heart
attack and stroke.
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- Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a lesser-known but inherited
risk factor that can also accelerate artery damage -- and unlike LDL, there are
currently no widely approved treatments to lower it.
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- The trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine,
included more than 2,500 participants with established heart disease or genetic
high cholesterol who were given either Obicetrapib or a placebo, in addition to
their regular cholesterol medications.
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- After 12 weeks, those on Obicetrapib had dropped their LDL
cholesterol by 32.6 per cent and Lp(a) by 33.5 per cent on average -- many
achieved guideline-recommended targets for the first time.
