MNT’s Sunday Supplement: Cholesterol-lowering jab could save over 30,000 lives
MNT’s Sunday Supplement: Cholesterol-lowering jab could save over 30,000 lives. A new drug that can safely cut cholesterol by 50% was approved by health authorities in England this week. It’s hoped that the drug — called inclisiran — could prevent 55,000 heart attacks and strokes and save more than 30,000 lives over the next decade.
Two things make inclisiran a game changer. It’s the first treatment for cholesterol to use small interfering ribonucleic acid, or siRNA, technology to switch off a gene that limits the liver’s ability to absorb and break down cholesterol. And, unlike statins — which are typically taken every day — inclisiran is administered as an injection once every 6 months.
Researchers also found that if a statin and inclisiran are used together, a person’s cholesterol level is reduced by about 75–80%, but inclisiran is also suitable to be used alone in people who are statin intolerant.
At around £2,000 per dose, inclisiran is a relatively expensive drug, but the National Health Service (NHS) in England and Wales, and Novartis, the Swiss manufacturer, recently reached an agreement on a discounted price. As a result, rollout of this new treatment could begin in weeks, with around 300,000 NHS patients set to benefit over the next 3 years.
Also, this weekend, we look at the link between exercise, iron, and Alzheimer’s, share new research on when SARS-CoV-2 transmission is most likely to occur, and explain why the latest generation of smartphones may pose a risk to people with implanted medical devices. You’ll find these and more new stories below.
We’ll return with our regular daily newsletter tomorrow. Until then, please share your thoughts about this weekend’s stories with us by email.
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