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VIDEO: Promise of PCSK9 inhibitors extends beyond LDL-lowering to potential atherosclerosis cure
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ORLANDO, Fla. — Jennifer G. Robinson, MD, MPH, of the department of epidemiology and cardiology at the University of Iowa, discusses how PCSK9 inhibitors work and those who stand to derive the most benefit from the LDL-lowering drugs.
“They basically enhance the body’s natural way of getting cholesterol out of the blood,” she said. Robinson details specific mechanisms, the dramatic LDL reductions possible and therapeutic applications, then goes on to offer “rule-of-thumb” scenarios for clinicians.
“It’s kind of an exciting tool, and we’re excited to offer it to people who have genetic hypercholesterolemia and familial hypercholesterolemia,” she said, emphasizing the broader effect PCSK9 inhibitors could have on CV events, but adding that long-term data are required.
Robinson looks into the future at the “final culmination” of stabilizing plaque in patients with atherosclerosis, and said early forms of the disease are “likely, unfortunately, the story for most adults in developed countries.”
She also touches on cost of the drugs in relation to treatment duration, as well as the need to replicate successful plaque-regression animal studies in humans.
“If we can cure atherosclerosis, nobody ever has a heart attack or stroke, which is still the leading cause of death in the world. We’re still in the early stages, but there are a lot of interesting times ahead,” Robinson said.