One dose of experimental drug nearly wipes out stealthy cholesterol in 'remarkable' trial

A single dose of an experimental drug dramatically reduced levels of a deadly form of cholesterol, often thought to be untreatable, for up to one year.

A single dose of an experimental drug dramatically reduced levels of a deadly form of cholesterol, often thought to be untreatable, for up to one year.

Lipoprotein(a) is a type of cholesterol that lurks in the body, undetected by routine tests and undeterred by existing drugs, diet or exercise.

The findings, cardiologists say, are a critical step toward treating the millions of Americans genetically predisposed to abnormally high levels of lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a).

“It’s remarkable,” said Dr. Eric Brandt, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center in Ann Arbor, who wasn’t involved with the new research. “These drugs have the potential to nearly eliminate that lipoprotein.”

People with high levels of Lp(a) — some 64 million adults in the U.S. — are at extremely high risk of cholesterol buildup in their arteries. That buildup raises their odds of heart attack, stroke and early death from cardiovascular problems.