In patients with severely elevated triglyceride levels at risk for developing acute pancreatitis, the investigational drug plozasiran reduced triglyceride levels by an average of 74% after 24 weeks of use without causing any significant safety concerns, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific...
Apr 8 2024American College of Cardiology In patients with severely elevated triglyceride levels at risk for developing acute pancreatitis , the investigational drug plozasiran reduced triglyceride levels by an average of 74% after 24 weeks of use without causing any significant safety concerns, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology 's Annual Scientific Session.
Triglycerides are blood lipids that store unused calories and provide energy to the body. An estimated 1 in 5 U.S. adults—and more than 2 in 5 of adults aged 60 years and older—have elevated triglycerides, defined as over 150 mg/dL. High levels of triglycerides and the lipid particles on which they are carried in the blood can contribute to the formation of "plaques" in the arteries that impede blood flow and can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Patients were randomly assigned to one of four groups. Three groups received two injections of plozasiran at one of three doses ; the fourth group received two injections of a placebo. The first injection was given on day one and the second at week 12. The study was double-blinded, meaning that neither the patients nor their clinicians knew who was receiving the drug and who was receiving the placebo until the study was over.
At 24 weeks, over 90% of patients who received the higher doses of plozasiran saw their triglyceride levels fall to below 500 mg/dL, the commonly accepted threshold for an increase in risk for pancreatitis. At 48 weeks, 77% of these patients still had triglyceride levels of less than 500 mg/dL. More than 50% of patients on higher doses achieved triglyceride levels of below 150 mg/dL at 24 weeks.
"From the patients' standpoint, the possibility that in the near future there could be an agent that safely and effectively lowers severely elevated triglyceride levels and reduces or eliminates the risk of developing pancreatitis is extraordinary," he said.
Acute Pancreatitis Blood Cardiology Fasting Heart Hypertriglyceridemia Lipids Liver Medicine Pancreatitis Placebo Research
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