(WXYZ) — A recent trial found a new drug may help lower bad cholesterol levels in people when statins alone are not enough.
Many people think that once they’re on a statin, they’re good to go. But it's actually not uncommon to need more than one medication to hit the right numbers.
That’s where this new drug combo comes in. The study, published in The Lancet, enrolled 407 patients, most in their late 60s. They all had high LDL levels despite taking medications including high-intensity statins.
Now, researchers tested a new drug called obicetrapib with ezetimibe, another drug that is already approved. And here’s what they found: bad cholesterol levels dropped by nearly 49% in about three months. That’s a big deal, especially for high-risk people who’ve had strokes or heart attacks or are likely to in the future.
High cholesterol can be caused by several things. Some people are born with genes that cause their liver to make more cholesterol. But lifestyle habits play a big role too. Eating a lot of fried or processed foods, not getting enough exercise, smoking and carrying extra weight can all raise LDL levels. Also as we age, it gets harder for the liver to clear it out.
As for symptoms, most people don’t have any. You can feel great — even run marathons — and still have high cholesterol. But over time, plaque can build up in your arteries and slow blood flow. That can lead to chest pain, heart attacks or strokes. The only way to know you have it is through a simple blood test.
Now, lifestyle habits like eating healthy and exercising do help. But for some people, LDL stays stubbornly high. In fact, only about 1 in 5 people at high risk for heart disease are able to keep their LDL under control.
That’s a concern because high LDL is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. And heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the U.S.
So the hope is that this new drug combo could bring LDL levels down even more — and hopefully help reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks.
