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Cholesterol-lowering medications: PCSK9 inhibitors

To understand what these drugs are and how they work, it's helpful to know a little bit about PCSK9 and why you might want to inhibit it. PCSK9 is a protein that targets and breaks down a certain class of receptors in the liver. Those receptors remove LDL from the blood as it passes through the liver. By reducing the number of these receptors, PCSK9 effectively increases the level of LDL in the blood. Studies have shown that people with excess PCSK9 have higher LDL and tend to suffer early heart disease, while those who are lacking PCSK9 (either entirely or partially) have low LDL and less heart disease. That's where the PCSK9 inhibitors come in. By hampering PCSK9's ability to work, they allow…

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 What to Know About the Powerful New Cholesterol Pill

Dr. Michos said that PCSK9 inhibitors have shown an additional benefit of lowering Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), a cholesterol-carrying protein she described as “LDL’s evil cousin.” Lp(a) independently increases heart disease risk, regardless of cholesterol levels, and statins don’t lower it.

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Drugmaker Merck announces approval of new cholesterol-fighting drug

The drug giant Merck on Thursday announced it had received FDA approval for a daily pill that can be an alternative to statins for treating high LDL levels, or so-called bad cholesterol. The new pill, Lipfendra, is a version of a drug called a PCSK9 inhibitor.

PCSK 9 Inhibitors: A Short History and a New Era of Lipid-lowering Therapy

PCSK9 inhibitors are a new class of drugs that lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad,” cholesterol. PCSK9 inhibitors are set to revolutionize the management of atherosclerotic risk. There are two FDA-approved medications: alirocumab (Praluent) and evolocumab (Repatha). Studies show that PCSK9 inhibitors have a powerful effect and in some cases can actually prevent heart attacks or strokes. They can be taken on their own or in addition to a statin. However, they are also much more expensive than other cholesterol drugs.

Role of PCSK9 inhibitors in the management of dyslipidaemia

Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are novel agents that lower LDL cholesterol and reduce cardio-vascular event rate. Being expensive, these agents are reserved for those with high risk or very high risk of CV events and with suboptimal response to statins and ezetimibe, with or without bempedoic acid or those intolerant to statins.

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Heart UK

PCSK9 inhibitors (sometimes also shown as PCSK9i) are a new type of medicine for lowering cholesterol in the blood. These medications are known as monoclonal antibodies, which means they are a type of laboratory-made protein that can bind to certain targets in the body. In this case they work by inhibiting a protein called PCSK9, which is made in the liver. Research has shown that people with high levels of this protein tend to have high cholesterol throughout their lives and develop heart disease early, but people with low levels tend to have low cholesterol and a lower risk of heart disease. This discovery led to the development of PCSK9 inhibitors to lower cholesterol

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