Millions Share a Deadly Genetic Heart Risk. This Experimental Drug Could Be a Game Changer

An experimental drug could be game-changing for millions of Americans with a higher genetic risk of cardiovascular disease. In clinical trial data published over the weekend, Eli Lilly’s lepodisiran was found to dramatically reduce people’s levels of a dangerous kind of cholesterol called lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). Eli Lilly announced the peer-reviewed results of its Phase 2 trial of lepodisiran on Sunday, which involved over 300 people genetically predisposed to high Lp(a). People taking the highest doses of lepodisiran experienced a 94% drop in Lp(a) levels up to a year later. The findings indicate that lepodisiran could soon become the first treatment of its kind for this common genetic risk factor. The cholesterol in our bodies is transported through several different types of lipoproteins. Low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, is often known as the bad kind of cholesterol since too much of it can raise the risk of plaque building up in our arteries (atherosclerosis), which then increa ... Read full article.