The combination, experts say, needs to be used for around three months, producing more effective results than either drug alone
A new medication—the combination of an already approved drug with a new unapproved one—can cut down the level of bad or LDL cholestewhen statins do not work. According to a new phase 3 trial conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, researchers found that the combination of obicetrapib with an established medication - ezetimibe—reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels by 48.6 per cent.
The combination, experts say, needs to be used for around three months, producing more effective results than either drug alone. Ezetimibe is a cholesterol-lowering drug that is often prescribed with statins to reduce LDL even more.
The research has been presented during a late-breaking science session at the annual meeting of the European Atherosclerosis Society in Scotland and published in The Lancet.
In the multicenter clinical trial, the lead researcher, Dr. Ashish Sarraju, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, and his
How was the study conducted?
According to the researchers, led by Dr. Ashish Sarraju, a preventive cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, more than 400 patients with a median age of 68 years with LDL cholesterol levels greater than 70 mg/dL were enrolled for the study, even though they had taken medication to lower it.
The participants were then assigned to four groups -
- A group for a pill that combined obicetrapib with ezetimibe
- A group for each of the drugs separately
- A placebo group
All the participants were made to continue on the medications they were taking before the trial began, along with the medications being studied. Some of the participants took a number of prescriptions to get LDL down to safe levels. “We need to give patients and their doctors all the options we can to try to get LDL under control if they are at risk for, or already have, cardiovascular disease,” Sarraju said. “In higher-risk patients, you want to get LDL down as quickly as possible and keep it there as long as possible.”
Experts said those who were at high risk either had strokes or heart attacks or were likely to have the condition in the future.
What does the future hold?
Researchers now hope that lowering LDL levels can reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular situations like heart attacks and strokes, both of which can be life-threatening.
According to the American Heart Association, the safe levels of cholesterol in adults are around 150 mg/decilitre, with LDL levels at or below 100 mg/decilitre, or a tenth of a litre.
For high-risk patients, LDL should not be higher than 70 mg/dL.
Other ways to reduce high cholesterol levels
A few natural ways to reduce high cholesterol levels include:
- Reduce the intake of saturated fats
-
Eliminate trans fats from your diet
-
Eat foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like fish and walnuts
- Increase soluble fibre with foods like beans, oats, and apples
- Add whey protein - found in dairy products
Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Health and around the world.
