PCSK9 inhibitors

Could these new cholesterol drugs save many Americans from heart attacks?

By Brady Dennis, Lenny Bernstein

A federal advisory committee this week will decide whether to recommend approval of the first in a new class of drugs many experts believe could significantly cut the risk of strokes and heart attacks, a leading cause of death for Americans.  Read full article »

A federal advisory committee this week will decide whether to recommend approval of the first in a new class of drugs many experts believe could significantly cut the risk of strokes and heart attacks, a leading cause of death for Americans.

The highly-anticipated new drugs have been shown in clinical trials to sharply reduce levels of bad, or LDL cholesterol, representing the first major advance in the area since widely used statin drugs hit the market in the late 1980s.

"This is one of the biggest developments in a long time in cardiology," said Steven Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, who is involved in clinical trials for two of the new treatments under development. "The effects of these drugs are very robust."/.../