Deadly cholesterol that doesnt show up on routine tests is slashed by 94%with single dose of new drug

An estimated 64 million Americans have elevated levels of lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a type of cholesterol that can increase the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.Having high Lp(a) doesn’t show up on routine tests because lifestyle factors like diet and exercise don’t seem to affect it and there have been no drugs to treat it — until now.Lepodisiran — an experimental drug made by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly — has been found to slash this deadly cholesterol by nearly 94% after a single dose.Participants who received a second jab at the six-month mark showed a nearly 95% reduction in Lp(a) levels after one year.

The findings were presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Chicago and published in the The New England Journal of Medicine.“This is a major source of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” lead author Dr.Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, said.

“We have never been able to treat lipoprotein(a) until now.” Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a liver-produced particle similar to LDL — “bad cholesterol” — that contributes to plaque buildup in arteries, significantly increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.Subscribe to our weekly Post Care newsletter! Please provide a valid email address.

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Unlike other cholesterol types, Lp(a) levels are primarily dictated by your genes, rendering lifestyle changes ineffective in managing its concentration.“Nearly a quarter of the world’s population has elevated levels of Lp(a), putting them at a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes,” Nissen said.“Unfortunately, there are no approved cholesterol-lowering therapies specifically for this genetic risk fa...