Related Article: New training for pharmacists to support veterans
An experimental drug has been found to be effective in lowering cholesterol, even when given monthly instead of fortnightly.
Related Article: No ICBs report commissioning pharmacy ear wax services
Alirocumab was found to be successful at reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C).
Related Article: Third of pharmacists in Great Britain are now independent prescribers
LDL-C is a fatty substance that accumulates in the walls of blood vessels, leading to serious health complications if its levels become too high in the body (hypercholesterolemia).
Alirocumab is an injectable drug that inhibits PCSK9, an enzyme responsible for LDL-C production.
Late trials of the drug showed with or without the use of statins (drugs also used to lower LDL-C), levels of cholesterol were still reduced when taking alirocumab.
Common side effects were: injection site reactions, nausea, fatigue and upper respiratory tract infections.
PSCK9 inhibitors are aimed at patients who are unable to lower their LDL-C levels with the use of statins or those who cannot tolerate statins.
The drug has been produced by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.
The market for hypercholesterolemia is expected to be worth more than £25bn by 2017.
Have your say
Please add your comment in the box below. You can include links, but HTML is not permitted. Please note that comments are not moderated before publication and the views expressed are those of the user and do not reflect the views of The Pharmacist. Remember that submission of comments is governed by our Terms and Conditions. You can also read our full guidelines on article comments here – but please be aware that you are legally liable for any libellous or offensive comments that you make. If you have a complaint about a comment or are concerned that a comment breaches our terms and conditions, please use the ‘Report this comment’ function to alert our web team.