News
New FOURIER analysis supports aggressive LDL lowering in patients with a recent MI
In this latest FOURIER analysis, add-on evolocumab treatment in patients with a recent myocardial infarction (MI) produced 3-fold greater absolute reduction in cardiovascular risk. These findings confirm 2018 US guideline recommendations for adding a PCSK9 inhibitor in very high-risk patients with elevated LDL cholesterol (≥70…
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VESALIUS-CV: New outcomes study with evolocumab
Amgen has announced a new cardiovascular outcomes study in patients at high risk of cardiovascular events who are already receiving lipid lowering treatment but have not had a previous myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke. VESALIUS-CV is a multinational, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical outcomes study…
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Familial hypercholesterolaemia in China – registry urgently needed
The size of the population in China implies a major burden of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH, inherited high cholesterol). Yet, like the majority of countries world-wide, FH is underdiagnosed and undertreated. China may pose specific issues that contribute to this. Cholesterol levels have been lower in…
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OSLER 5-year data in Japanese: evolocumab continues to impress
Treatment with evolocumab, in addition to standard of care including statin therapy, was well tolerated and led to sustained reduction in LDL cholesterol in Japanese subjects enrolled in the long-term OSLER studies (Open-Label Study of Long-Term Evaluation Against LDL-C). The OSLER studies were designed to…
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Who is receiving PCSK9 inhibitors in the real world?
PCSK9 inhibitors have been endorsed for use in patients at high and very risk of cardiovascular events (1,2). In the real-world, however, which type of patients are more commonly prescribed a PCSK9 inhibitor? Findings based on data from three Danish registries indicate that the majority…
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Cost remains the issue for use of PCSK9 inhibitors
PCSK9 inhibitors are highly efficacious LDL cholesterol lowering treatments that have been endorsed by guidelines and experts for use in very high-risk patients (1-3). The key groups identified by these groups have been patients with clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH, inherited high…
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Alirocumab: EU Regulatory update
The European Union (EU) has now approved alirocumab, a PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) monoclonal antibody, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with established cardiovascular disease.1 The approval is based on data from the ODYSSEY OUTCOMES trial, which not only showed…
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Two more analyses show efficacy of alirocumab in diabetes
Two recent analyses add to the body of evidence supporting the efficacy and tolerability of the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), including those with mixed dyslipidaemia. The first report (1) was a pooled analysis of 5 placebo-controlled Phase 3…
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