AVENTURA, Fla. – For years statin drugs have been the top line of choice in treating people with high cholesterol, but cardiologist Dr. Leonard Pianko said a new drug called inclisiran was recently approved by health authorities in England after showing it can safely cut cholesterol by 50%.
“The purported mechanism is it blocks the gene that allows cholesterol to get into the liver so it blocks the entry of cholesterol into the liver at a very early stage, most of the medicines we have available now work at later stages of cholesterol metabolism and pathways,” he said.
Pianko said that mechanism appears to avoid the side effects some people experience with statins.
He said the drug can be used in combination with statin medications, but also works well on its own.
Because the medication is given by injection every six months, experts say it may lead to better patient compliance rather than having to take a pill every day.
The downside of the drug is that it stays in the system longer.
Dermatitis topical approved
The Food and Drug Administration is granting a first-ever approval of a topical JAK inhibitor for atopic dermatitis.
The agency approved the use of ruxolitinib cream in non-immunocompromised patients ages 12 and older.
Dermatologist Dr. Jeffrey Fromowitz says the topical option will avoid the need for system medications and the related side effects.
COVID and MS
And a recent study found that COVID vaccines do work in people with multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system.
While the study was small, a larger ongoing investigation is assessing the effectiveness of administering additional vaccine doses to this immuno-compromised population of patients.