Novel Thyroid Hormone Agent Cuts Lipids Beyond What Statin Can Do Alone

ACC: Novel Thyroid Hormone Agent Cuts Lipids Beyond What Statin Can Do Alone

By Crystal Phend, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: April 01, 2009 Reviewed by Dori F. Zaleznik, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston.

ORLANDO, April 1 -- An experimental agent that targets thyroid receptor hormones in the liver may lower lipids substantially as an add-on to statins, researchers said. Action Points   Explain to interested patients that the liver and thyroid play important roles in cholesterol regulation. Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented orally at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Investigational eprotirome reduced LDL cholesterol by 25% on average over 12 weeks in patients already on a statin, Bo Angelin, M.D., Ph.D., of the Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, and colleagues reported at the American College of Cardiology meeting here. The dose-ranging study showed no signal for thyroid, liver, or cardiac adverse effects, Dr. Angelin said. However, given the history of these agents, some top cardiologists sounded a note of caution about overinterpreting the short-term safety results. "Big pharma has tried for three decades to make this work," commented Steven Nissen, M.D., of the Cleveland Clinic. "It suggests there will be a challenging road ahead./../