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New Drug May Cut Sudden Heart Risk by 94%
- March 31, 2025
- I. Edwards HealthDay Reporter
A new drug may help protect millions of people from heart attacks and strokes by lowering a little-known risk factor in the blood.
The drug, made by Eli Lilly and called lepodisiran, lowered levels of a tiny particle called Lp(a) by 94% with a single shot, the study shows. Lp(a) is a mix of protein and lipids.
The drug's effects lasted six months with no major side effects, according to new research presented in Chicago Sunday at an American College of Cardiology meeting and also published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
About 1 in 5 folks in the U.S. -- or 64 million Americans -- have high Lp(a) levels, which are linked to a higher risk of heart attack and stroke. But few doctors test for it so most folks don't know they have it.
Dr. David Maron is a preventive cardiologist at Stanford who was not involved in the Eli Lilly research. He told The New York Times the evidence of profound and long-lasting reduction in lipoprotein levels with lepodisiran was “thrilling.”
More studies are needed to confirm whether lowering Lp(a) also lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
A large trial for lepodisiran is expected to wrap up in 2029, but results from a similar drug being tested by Novartis could come next year.
Lp(a) was discovered in 1974 and is mostly controlled by genes. Diet and exercise don’t help. People with slightly high levels have a 25% greater risk of heart disease, and those with very high levels -- about 10% of people -- have double the risk.
What's more, doctors say it’s often the hidden reason behind heart attacks in young or healthy people.
“If you go into the coronary care unit and see someone who is 40 years old with a [heart attack], you need to know the level of their Lp(a),” said Dr. Steven Nissen, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic.
Nissen is leading Lilly’s trial and others on similar drugs, according to The Times.
He said people with high Lp(a) need to treat all other heart risk factors, like cholesterol and blood pressure.
Dr. Martha Gulati is a preventive cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center who was not involved in the study.
She noted that one study indicated that fewer than 1% of Americans have had an Lp(a) test, even though it’s covered by insurance. Just 3% of those with heart disease have been tested, she added.
She and others think all adults should be tested at least once since Lp(a) doesn’t change over time.
One patient, 71-year-old Monte Wooden, had normal blood pressure and didn’t smoke, but still had a heart attack in 2006. It turned out his Lp(a) level was over 400 — far above the normal limit of 75, according to The Times.
With treatment and a clinical trial drug, his symptoms disappeared. But when the trial ended, they returned, and he needed a quadruple bypass.
“It’s anecdotal,” Maron said, “But it speaks to the likelihood that these drugs prevent heart attacks.”
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on lipoproteins.
SOURCE: The New York Times, March 30, 2025
