New Drug Significantly Lowers Bad Cholesterol

For many people with high cholesterol, statins serve as the first line of treatment. However, some patients are unable to effectively reduce their low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) or “bad cholesterol” levels with statins, the most commonly used medication to treat high cholesterol, due to their bodies’ inability to tolerate or sufficiently respond to the medicine.


Now researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital have shown that in patients already on a statin, the addition of a new drug, called AMG 145, can reduce LDL cholesterol levels by up to 66 percent after 12 weeks.


The study was presented at the 2012 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions and electronically published in Lancet on November 6, 2012.


In a double-blind, dose-ranging, placebo-controlled study, 631 patients ages 18 to 80 years old with high cholesterol on a stable statin dose (with or without ezetimibe) were randomized to receive one of six different AMG 145 dose regimens or matching placebo. The treatments were given subcutaneously (an injection under the skin) every two or every four weeks for a total of twelve weeks. 

Source: http://www.health.am/cholesterol/more/new-drug-significantly-lowers-bad-cholesterol/

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