Powerful cholesterol drug cuts heart attack risk by 31%
Why it matters: This drug could prevent heart attacks and strokes in 31% of high-risk diabetic patients before they occur.
- Mass General Brigham researchers found that evolocumab, a PCSK9 inhibitor, reduced the risk of a first major cardiovascular event by 31% in high-risk diabetic patients without existing atherosclerosis.
- Evolocumab lowered LDL-C levels by approximately 51% compared to placebo, demonstrating its potency in reducing "bad cholesterol."
- Dr. Nicholas A. Marston emphasizes that these results should change how medical professionals approach the prevention of heart attacks and strokes in patients without known significant atherosclerosis, advocating for earlier intensive cholesterol lowering.
A powerful cholesterol-lowering drug, evolocumab, significantly cuts the risk of first-time heart attacks and strokes by 31% in high-risk diabetic patients, even before any artery-clogging plaque is detected. This finding from Mass General Brigham researchers challenges existing treatment paradigms, suggesting intensive cholesterol lowering should be applied earlier in patients without diagnosed cardiovascular disease.
