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New drug 'cuts cholesterol'

Scientists believe they have made a radical breakthrough in the treatment of cholesterol using advanced gene-silencing. It is hoped new drugs will offer an alternative for the one in five people who are resistant to traditional cholesterol medicine.

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Cholesterol drug may provide alternative treatment

A new cholesterol drug may be able to treat the disease for the one in five people who are unable to use statin - the traditional medication for reducing the risk of heart disease

Lead investigator Dr Kevin Fitzgerald, from the US company Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, which developed the drug explained:

If successfully developed, this class of drugs could be an alternative for the one in five people who are resistant to statins, or be combined with statins to produce even greater effects for the many others for whom the current first-line treatment does not lower cholesterol enough.

This marks the first time that the effect of an RNAi drug candidate has been demonstrated on a clinically validated endpoint, performing as well as statins that provide about 36% to 53% drops in LDL cholesterol.

– Lead investigator Dr Kevin Fitzgerald

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