Peer Reviewed
Case studies

New treatment for a patient who could not tolerate statins

Leon A Simons
Abstract
A small proportion of patients with hypercholesterolaemia will be intolerant to statin drugs and they may be better managed in future years with a novel approach – regular subcutaneous injections of a human monoclonal antibody directed against PCSK9, a key regulatory enzyme.
Key Points
  • A novel approach to treat the small proportion of patients with hypercholesterolaemia who are intolerant to statins is being developed. These patients may be better managed in future years with regular subcutaneous injections of a human monoclonal antibody directed against PCSK9.
  • This treatment may reduce LDL-cholesterol levels by about 50% and so far appears to be safe and well tolerated.
  • Inhibition of PCSK9 is similarly effective in the presence or absence of a statin, but we await proof that such treatment will reduce future coronary risk.

    Picture credit: © Istockphoto/Patrick Heagney. Model used for illustrative purposes only.

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