Lepodisiran is a new drug that can reduce the level of lipoprotein a, one of the harmful forms of cholesterol, by 95%. It is currently unknown how applicable this drug will be in actual clinical practice. Cardiologist Vadim Zakiev, teacher of the Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Russian State University of Social Sciences, told socialbites.ca.
Lipoprotein a (LP a) is a type of “bad” cholesterol. Increased LP a level is an independent risk factor for vascular accidents; its concentration in the blood is genetically determined and does not depend on lifestyle, and to date, not a single drug has been approved to lower LP a. A new drug, Lepodisiran, is currently being tested. Recently published results from a Phase 1 clinical trial showed that it could reduce lipid-α levels by 95%.
“Further studies examining the effect of the drug on the incidence of mortality, heart attack or stroke are needed to be able to say how applicable this drug will be in clinical practice. It may turn out that the laboratory indicator of LP a will decrease, but there will be no clinical effect, that is, an effect on prognosis.” “It should not be used until we are sure of the safety and effectiveness of the drug. Unfortunately, it will take several more years for full tests to be carried out,” explained Zakiev.
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