Going Lo-Co

Is the New Class of Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs For You?

Posted on October 25, 2015

The quick answer to ‘Am I a candidate for one of the two new PCSK9 cholesterol-lowering drugs?’ is Probably Not (unless you have FH or have heart disease / have had a heart attack.)

The reason? Two, actually. First, this totally new class of (injectable) cholesterol-lowering drugs is approved ONLY for those with high cardiac risk. And secondly, clinical study results with key safety data won’t be available for YEARS.

The two new drugs, Praluent and Repatha, were approved this past summer by the FDA only for those with a serious, genetically inherited disease that causes very high LDL (bad) cholesterol called Familial Hypercholsterolemia (FH) and/or for those who have heart disease / have suffered a heart attack. Said differently, this new class of drugs is NOT for those with “regular” high cholesterol — and that’s key because these drugs have potentially serious (neurological and other) side effects which won’t be fully known until clinical results are released in 2017.

As reported by CNN’s FDA Approves Second In New Class of Cholesterol Lowering Drugs:

“Repatha provides another treatment option in this new class of drugs for patients with familial hypercholesterolemia or with known cardiovascular disease who have not been able to lower their LDL cholesterol enough with statins,” Dr. John Jenkins, director of the FDA Office of New Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release.”

A similar CNN article, FDA Approves New Cholesterol Lowering Drug, explains:

“It focuses on those who’ve truly had clinical disease or those who start out with such high levels of LDL they can’t get anywhere near where they should be and I think those are the most at-risk people,” said Dr. Donald A. Smith, associate professor of medicine and cardiology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.”

So, yes, this new class of drugs is amazing news for those with FH and those with cardiac disease who cannot tolerate statins. These folks should run, not walk, to their cardiologists. But for the rest of us, Repatha and Praluent are drugs we can ask our internists and cardiologists about at our next appointments, not race there with questions now.

What’s fascinating frustrating to me about these new drugs is that there is a lack of clarity from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiologists about how this new class of drugs fits in with their 2013 “New Guidelines” for treating high cholesterol.  Indeed, in ‘Understanding The New Guidelines,’ the new class of drugs is not even mentioned. I find this exasperating – this is an ONLINE instrument and should be current. I found exactly one article on AHA’s site (their blog, actually) called FDA Approves New Cholesterol Drug. In a nutshell, what the AHA said about the new class of drugs is that MAYBE WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT IT VIS-A-VIS OUR GUIDELINES? (emphasis mine, obviously.)

Seriously? That’s it, AHA? Very disappointing. Here’s a quote from that article:

“The AHA revised its scientific guidelines about cholesterol in 2013. They de-emphasize the setting of specific LDL targets and recommend statin use for all at-risk patients with elevated LDL. The recommendations also suggest statin treatment for people who don’t have cardiovascular disease but who by using an at-risk estimator tool are determined to have at least a 7.5 percent risk of developing it over a decade.

Now with the possibility of having ultra-low levels of LDL, Eckel, who sat on that guideline-writing panel, said it is unclear whether there will be a move soon to rewrite the guideline to take into account the developments with PCSK9 inhibitors.

“Some people feel the guideline could be re-written now and others believe it should wait until the PCSK9 outcome trials are completed,” he said.”

(NOTE: ‘he’ refers to “Dr. Robert H. Eckel, an endocrinologist and professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and director of the medical school’s Lipid Treatment Clinic” who sat on the AHA/ACC new guidelines panel.) 

This equivocating statement (and no real guidance at all) is the sum total of what I could find in terms of opinion from the American Heart Association about this new class of drugs. One can only hope they are providing more to doctors and cardiologists, but I doubt it. Which leaves doctors deciding on treatment based on information presented by (necessarily biased) drug companies. Because you can be sure reps from Amgen and Sanofi are banging down the doors of US cardiologists.

Personally, I’m confused. Every single adult in my family takes statins to lower cholesterol. ALL of them.  But I’m trying not to; I’m trying to manage my risk with lifestyle and diet. And following the American Heart Association’s guidance, I should not be taking statins (my results from the AHA ‘risk calculator’ are below. And clearly I’m not a candidate for the PCSK9 drugs as I don’t have FH nor have had a heart disease event, yet. And further, my advanced lipid panel testing also confirms I am not at great cardiac risk.

But what if they’re wrong? What if the AHA changes the guidelines again and I waste two years not taking statins? Or find out that everyone should be taking PCSK9 to lower cholesterol dramatically?

Dr. Mercola doesn’t think that will happen. In his FDA Approves Potentially Disastrous Cholesterol-Lowering Drug, he argues this new class of drugs is likely to be widely prescribed before it’s safety is known, and that there are early indicators of safety issues.

But I’m left wondering.  Luckily I have a follow up appointment with my cardiologist in December, so I’ll ask him what he thinks of the 2013 Guidelines now that two PCSK9 drugs have been approved. I plan to ask if he thinks I should continue to follow AHA/ACC guidelines or consider further tests or treatment.

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RESOURCE: CALCULATING YOUR CARDIOVASCULAR RISK:

If you haven’t used the AHA/ACC’s  2013 CV Risk Calculator, you should. It’s free, online (or an app) and is simple to use – all you need are your cholesterol results and your blood pressure (both my internist and my cardiologist used this app during my appointment). Click on the link and fill in the very few boxes and you’ll get a personalized result.

For reference, here’s a summary of my personal inputs and result/recommendation.

“Based on the data entered (assuming no clinical ASCVD and LDL-C 70-189 mg/dL):

Lifestyle Recommendations

AHA/ACC guidelines stress the importance of lifestyle modifications to lower cardiovascular disease risk. This includes eating a heart-healthy diet, regular aerobic exercises, maintenance of desirable body weight and avoidance of tobacco products.”