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Thursday, April 02, 2009

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./../

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