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Tag: LDL

  • Cholesterol Drug by Amgen Cuts LDL by 60%

    Cholesterol Drug by Amgen Cuts LDL by 60%

    A new class of experimental drugs have been proven to dramatically lower cholesterol, and may become a viable option for the 70 million Americans who have high LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or “bad” cholesterol. One of these new medicines, Amgen’s Evolocumab, cut cholesterol by 55 to 66 percent compared to a placebo in some studies.

    The new cholesterol drugs might serve as a replacement for patients who can’t tolerate or don’t see enough benefits from existing drugs like Lipitor, as well as other statin drugs that have been around for decades. The initial comprehensive studies were presented at an American College of Cardiology conference in Washington on Saturday.

    Cholesterol is an organic lipid molecule and an essential structural component of animal cell membranes, which is required to create proper membrane permeability and fluidity. Animal fats are complex mixtures of triglycerides, phospholipids and cholesterol. As a result of this, all foods containing animal fat contain cholesterol to varying degrees. Foods high in cholesterol include egg yolks, beef, cheese, pork, poultry, fish, and shrimp. Breast milk and alcohol also contain high amounts of cholesterol.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_pT_uL2b3E

    Elevated amounts of LDL or “bad” cholesterol can cause cardiovascular disease. LDL molecules can transport their content of fat molecules into arterial walls, which in turn can lead to heart disease. Traditional drug therapies include the use of statins, which reduce high levels of LDL particles by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase in cells, niacin, which reduces triglyceride synthesis, and Clofibrate, which has been associated with significantly increased risk of cancer and stroke, regardless of lowered cholesterol levels.

    Notwithstanding, the best approach to lowering cholesterol has been dietary. The reduction of abdominal fat, as well minimizing total body fat lowers LDL. As plants contain very low amounts of cholesterol, vegetarian diets have been shown to reduce LDL levels.

    In related news, it’s been reported that certain cholesterol medications might help men suffering with erectile dysfunction.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Cholesterol, New Drug May Bring Billions In Revenue

    Sanofi and Regeneron have come together to create a drug that lowers cholesterol and allows people more choices with monitoring individual cholesterol levels. The drug has the potential to sweep through the medial world with current projections aiming that the drug may provide a $3 billion industry by itself.

    The new drug, alirocumab, is a PCSK9 inhibitor. But what does this mean for real life everyday usage? The drug will be self-administered through injections. As a PCSK9 inhibitor the drug will have a unique target method. Man-made antibodies will attack proteins that otherwise prevent the body from eliminating the bad cholesterol, called LDL cholesterol.

    This is a different method from the drug class of statins, which prevent the liver from initially producing LDL cholesterol. Intended candidates for using this drug include high-risk individuals with a predisposition and family history of high LDL cholesterol levels. A likely factor considering prescribing PCSK9 will also involve whether statins have been successful in controlling the condition alone. If statins have been unsuccessful, then alirocumab may be deemed as a potential solution.

    The financial gains intended from this drug have been noted by many researchers. Members from the Deutsche Bank recently had this to say about the drug, “Physician feedback suggests high awareness amongst cardiologists and planned prescribing habits support multi-billion dollar potential for the class.”

    According to BioMedTracker, the estimates for future financial gains project that by the year 2023 sales for alirocumab may reach $3.7 billion.

    The CEO of Sanofi, Chris Viehbacher, recently spoke optimistically about the potential results this recent change may pose for the healthcare industry. “When you look at the number of patients who are willing to inject themselves daily for diabetes, and you know a lot of those patients are also going to be in your patient population for PCSK9, I actually think that the injectable part is not going to be as big a barrier as people think. I think it is going to be a paradigm shift for healthcare and a potentially huge opportunity for us,” Chris Viehbacher said.

    [Image Via Wikimedia Commons Is A Model Of The Cholesterol Molecule]