New drug cuts down genetically inherited heart disease risk factor
Lepodisiran, an experimental drug from the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, is a small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapy designed to lower the production of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], a genetically inherited risk factor for heart disease, according to a press release Sunday.
'Nearly a quarter of the world's population has elevated levels of Lp(a), putting them at a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes,' said Steven Nissen, chief academic officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.
'Unfortunately, there are no approved cholesterol-lowering therapies specifically for this genetic risk factor, and lifestyle changes like diet and exercise do not provide meaningful reductions,' Nissan added.
But, he continued, 'these significant and sustained Lp(a) reductions are encouraging and suggest that siRNA approaches like lepodisiran could potentially offer durable benefits with long-term dosing.'
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