Some people can’t get their bad cholesterol levels down, even if they take cholesterol-lowering meds. A new clinical trial using a combination of existing and not-yet-released cholesterol tablets lowered bad cholesterol by almost half in people at high risk of heart disease.
We understand how high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup on arteries, increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. But the cause of high cholesterol is multifactorial, and for some people, cholesterol-lowering medications like statins aren’t effective.
In a new study led by the Cleveland Clinic, researchers trialed the combination of an existing cholesterol medication with a brand-new one and found that, together, the drugs lowered LDL cholesterol levels by a staggering 48.6%.
“Despite statin therapies and other non-statin medications, many patients with a high risk of heart disease or existing heart disease don’t reach their LDL cholesterol targets,” said Ashish Sarraju, MD, lead author and cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic. “This combination therapy [we studied] helped high-risk patients who need additional LDL cholesterol lowering to potentially reach their goals.”
Most adults generally aim for an LDL cholesterol level below 100 mg/dL. However, those with a history of heart disease, diabetes, or other conditions that increase their risk of cardiovascular disease may have lower LDL targets.
For the present study, the researcher recruited 407 adults with LDL levels of 70 mg/dL and above despite taking cholesterol-lowering medications. They were randomized to receive daily oral doses of either 10 mg of ezetimibe (an existing drug, sold as Zetia) alone, 10 mg obicetrapib (a yet-to-be-released drug) alone, a fixed drug combination of both (10 mg of each), or a placebo.
After 84 days of treatment, the combination of new and old drugs lowered LDL cholesterol by 48.6% compared to placebo. And, compared to placebo, LDL cholesterol fell by 31.7% with obicetrapib alone. All of the treatments were generally well tolerated.
“These results support the potential of using this fixed dose combination to help treat an often difficult-to-treat patient population,” said Steven Nissen, MD, Chief Academic Officer of the Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic and the study’s corresponding author. “If approved by regulatory authorities, this could allow high-risk patients who need additional LDL cholesterol lowering to potentially reach their targets.”
The clinical trial was funded by NewAmsterdam Pharma.
The study was published in The Lancet.
Source: Cleveland Clinic
