Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) News and Research

RSS

Isis Pharmaceuticals starts ISIS-APOARx Phase 1 clinical study for treatment of atherosclerosis

Isis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a Phase 1 clinical study for ISIS-APOARx, an antisense drug targeting apolipoprotein(a) for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

3 Apr 2013

Standard formula for calculating LDL cholesterol levels is often inaccurate, study finds

In what promises to be an eye-opener for many doctors and patients who routinely depend on cholesterol testing, a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the standard formula used for decades to calculate low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels is often inaccurate.

27 Mar 2013

Genetically modified tomatoes mimic actions of good cholesterol

UCLA researchers have genetically engineered tomatoes to produce a peptide that mimics the actions of good cholesterol when consumed.

20 Mar 2013

Addition of niacin to statin does not improve HDL function

While two large clinical trials recently showed that adding niacin to statin therapy failed to improve clinical outcomes despite a significant increase in HDL-C levels, little is known about exactly why the increased HDL-C levels did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke.

12 Mar 2013

Pitavastatin may reduce risk of heart attack, stroke and death in patients with high cholesterol

Heart patients who can't tolerate the side effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs may have a new option, according to a new study by researchers from the Intermountain Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City.

12 Mar 2013

TV ads may drive over-diagnosis of high cholesterol and over-treatment with statins

Television advertising may drive over-diagnosis of high cholesterol and over-treatment with statins, according to a new study¹ by Dr. Jeff Niederdeppe from Cornell University in the US and colleagues. It appears that a trip to the doctor enquiring about statins advertised on TV often leads to a prescription.

8 Mar 2013

Cholesterol levels seem to fluctuate significantly with turning seasons

Cholesterol levels seem to fluctuate significantly with the turning seasons, which may leave some people with borderline high cholesterol at greater cardiovascular risk during the winter months, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

7 Mar 2013

Carbamylation contributes to heart disease risk among patients with CKD undergoing dialysis

Kidney failure affects 25 million individuals in the U.S. and many more throughout the world. Loss of kidney function means the majority of these patients must undergo dialysis treatments to remove excess fluids and waste products. Although dialysis therapy coupled with medication has improved the life expectancy for people with kidney failure, for unknown reasons, patients' risk of sudden heart failure and death remains 10 to 20 times greater than average.

7 Mar 2013

LDL apheresis can reduce cholesterol levels in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia

Some patients are genetically prone to such dangerously high levels of cholesterol that no amount of diet, exercise and medications can reduce their cholesterol to safe levels.

1 Mar 2013

Genetic testing strategy for familial high cholesterol questioned

Current testing strategies for the families of patients with familial hypercholesterolemia may not be an efficient use of health resources, suggest study results published in The Lancet.

25 Feb 2013

Familial Hypercholesterolaemia patients often inherit small-effect changes in several genes rather than a large-effect mutation in a single gene

Research published Online First in The Lancet provides new evidence that a substantial proportion of individuals with a clinical diagnosis of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) inherit a combination of small-effect changes in several genes (polygenic) rather than a large-effect mutation in a single gene (monogenic).

22 Feb 2013

More people meeting recommended goals in three key markers of diabetes control

More people are meeting recommended goals in the three key markers of diabetes control, according to a study conducted and funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

16 Feb 2013

Regeneron fourth quarter total revenues increase to $415 million

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced financial and operating results for the fourth quarter and full year 2012 and provided an update on development programs.

14 Feb 2013

Glycemic control low priority in diabetes CVD prevention

Maintaining glycemic control does not reduce the likelihood for cardiovascular disease leading to hospitalization in people with Type 2 diabetes, report US researchers.

4 Feb 2013

Merck full-year 2012 worldwide sales decrease 2% to $47.3 billion

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year of 2012.

1 Feb 2013

FDA approves Genzyme’s KYNAMRO to treat homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

Genzyme, a Sanofi company, and Isis Pharmaceuticals Inc., today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its New Drug Application (NDA) for KYNAMROTM (mipomersen sodium) injection.

30 Jan 2013

Genzyme receives FDA approval for Kynamro to treat homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Kynamro (mipomersen sodium) injection as an addition to lipid-lowering medications and diet to treat patients with a rare type of high cholesterol called homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH).

30 Jan 2013

Controlling blood pressure and cholesterol may reduce risk of heart attack or stroke in diabetics

For people with diabetes, meeting the recommended guidelines for blood pressure and cholesterol is even more important than meeting the guidelines for blood sugar control in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

29 Jan 2013

Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma in-licenses CETP inhibitor to Dezima Pharma

Dezima Pharma ('Dezima'), the biotechnology company developing innovative drugs in the field of dyslipidemia, announced today the in-licensing of a cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor DEZ-001 (formerly TA-8995) from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation (MTPC). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

22 Jan 2013

Study reveals ugly cholesterol is the direct cause of ischaemic heart disease

The risk of ischaemic heart disease - a disease affecting some 150,000 Danes - is three times higher in persons with high levels of the so-called 'ugly' cholesterol. This is the finding of a new study of 73,000 Danes, which is shedding light on a long debate on this topic. The results have just been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.