Statin medications have had a profound effect on heart disease across the world, but there are a variety of limitations with these medications including lack of effect, side effects, and inadequate results in patients at highest risk (inability to achieve ‘goal’ levels of cholesterol.)
Enter a new treatment, a medication that is a ‘biological agent’, an antibody that is directed against the production of cholesterol and appears to cause a profound reduction in cholesterol, up to 50% greater effect than the strongest statins. The medication appears generaly safe and is undergoing broad testing by a variety pharmaceutical firms that see billions of dollars in sales from this category of medication, particularly for patients with heart attacks and known heart disease.
The medication will require an injection, much like insulin, and will be given once or twice a week. All of this will depend on the outcome of ongoing research, but keep your eyes out for this information and we’ll keep you updated.