Wonder pill heart hopes

AN experimental wonder drug soon to be tested on Victorians has halved levels of bad cholesterol in hard-to-treat patients, dramatically reducing their risk of heart disease and stroke.

Finding ways to boost the efficacy of existing cholesterollowering medications, known as statins, and to provide alternatives for the vast number of patients unable to tolerate them, is one of the most pressing concerns in cardiology.

Following results from the clinical trial in US patients, led by researchers from Monash University and the Victorian Heart Institute, the medication called obicetrapib will be tested in Victorians next year.

Lead researcher Stephen Nicholls said despite 1.5 million Australians living with high cholesterol, statins did not work for everyone.

“In about half of patients, we get their cholesterol levels down to where we need to get to with current medications,” Professor Nicholls said.

“But some people can’t tolerate a statin, and others can’t get to a level of cholesterol we want them to get to. It means that half the patients who have had a heart attack are walking around with cholesterol levels that are unacceptably high for them.

“We need new medications to either use when we can’t use the existing medications or potentially in addition to the existing medications.”

Tested in 120 patients with an average age of 60 and on existing statins, the experimental drug could reduce levels of bad cholesterol by 50 per cent. The drug, which blocks a mechanism that turns good cholesterol into bad in the bloodstream, was almost destined for the scrap heap after disappointing earlier trials.