New, experimental drugs designed to drive down dangerous levels of cholesterol were shown to be safe and effective in two groundbreaking bodies of research presented Sunday at an annual meeting of the American Heart Association. Both medications target people born with a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol. While drugs like statins, as well as diet and exercise, can help these individuals manage cholesterol, they cannot change the underlying genetic cause.
The two new approaches work in different ways, but with a singular mission: go after genes responsible for raising cholesterol to change the trajectory of a person’s risk for heart attack and stroke. Neither treatment had ever been tested in humans before. And both will need years of additional research before they'd be considered for approval by the Food and Drug Administration. Still, experts are impressed with the results. 'There is no way to categorize this other than revolutionary,' said Dr