Study: New Cholesterol Drug + Statins = Lowered Heart Attack, Stroke Risk
A new class of powerful cholesterol-lowering drugs really can do what they ultimately were designed for: Reduce death, heart attacks, strokes and similar bad outcomes in patients who have had a heart attack or stroke, a new study says.
The research is expected to increase use of the injectable drugs for high-risk patients with hardening of the arteries — or atherosclerosis — who can’t get their bad LDL cholesterol low enough by statin drugs alone.
“This study shows that adding an injectable cholesterol-lowering drug to the standard treatment of statins substantially reduced the risk of a second heart attack or stroke,” says cardiologist Steven Nissen, MD.
Dr. Nissen, Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, has been involved with studies of the drugs, called PCSK9 inhibitors. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Learn more.
Tags: heart_attack high_cholesterol statins stroke