Scientists discover drug that nearly eliminates hidden cholesterol that lifestyle changes cant touch

Researchers have discovered an experimental medication that significantly reduces a cholesterol-like particle that can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes.Many Americans are unaware that elevated levels of this particle — known as lipoprotein(a) or Lp(a) — are circulating in their blood.Elevated Lp(a) cannot be modified with lifestyle changes, and has been called “one of the last untreatable frontiers of cardiovascular risk” by Cleveland Clinic, who led the study.This new research confirmed earlier findings showing that the experimental drug — lepodisiran, made by Eli Lilly, who funded the study — can “silence” the main gene responsible for synthesizing Lp(a).(Other experimental gene therapies with a similar mechanism of action are also in development, according to Cleveland Clinic.)The findings were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and were also presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Cardiology on March 30.Lipoprotein(a) levels are elevated in approximately 20-25% of people worldwide, according to the American Heart Association. This equates to approximately 64 million people in the U.S.and 1.4 billion people globally.

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Lp(a) shares similarities with another lipoprotein that doctors target to reduce the risk of heart disease, known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) – often referred to as “bad cholesterol.”But lipoprotein(a) is more prone to plaque buildup and clots in the arteries than LDL, according to lead author Steven Nissen, M.D., chief academic officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic.“Lipoprotein(a) is an independent risk factor for heart disease that is largely determined by genetics — that is, it is inherited,...