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Thursday, June 11, 2015

Mayo Expert Says New Cholesterol Drugs are Very Effective (video)

Mayo Clinic: A FDA advisory panel has recommended approval of the first drug in a new class of cholesterol-lowering medications, called PCSK9 inhibitors. PCSK9 is a protein that interferes with the liver's ability to reduce levels of LDL, often called the bad cholesterol. A similar drug made by another company will be considered by the panel today. "The thing that’s different about [these medications] is that they actually enhance your own body’s ability to clear cholesterol," says Stephen Kopecky, M.D., with Mayo Clinic's division of cardiovascular diseases and the immediate past president of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC).