UK to roll out ‘groundbreaking’ anti-cholesterol jab

A new anti-cholesterol drug has been developed and will soon be administered to patients in the United Kingdom.

The ‘game changing’ drug’, Inclisiran, will be made available to thousands of people in the UK following an agreement between the country’s National Health Service (NHS) and Novartis, which will be producing the drug.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance found in some foods and also produced in the liver. Although needed for the body to properly function, too much of it can clog the arteries, increasing the risk of heart problems and stroke.

High cholesterol is usually treated with a healthy diet, exercise, and medication called statins.

Statins need to be taken daily, most times throughout ones life, and cannot be tolerated by some patients — problems Inclisiran seeks to solve.

Inclisiran, though expensive, will be administered by injections. After an initial dose, the drug will be given again after three months and then twice a year, saving many patients the trouble of taking daily tablets and making regular hospital visits.

Although the treatment can be taken alongside statins, it can serve as an alternative for those who are discouraged from taking the pills owing to a number of side effects, including headaches and muscle pain.

The drug is said to be as effective as high-dose statins after getting rid of around 50 percent of the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol in blood.

It works by helping the liver remove cholesterol from the blood by blocking the production of a protein called PCSK9, which lowers the organ’s ability to get rid of cholesterol.

Sajid Javid, the country’s health secretary, said: “This ground-breaking new drug further demonstrates the UK’s excellent track record for identifying the world’s most innovative treatments and ensuring NHS patients are able to access them at the earliest opportunity.”  

The jab has been approved by UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for those with high cholesterol who already have history of heart disease or have had a heart attack or stroke.

Meindert Boysen, deputy chief executive of NICE, said: “Inclisiran represents a potential game-changer in preventing thousands of people from dying prematurely from heart attacks and strokes.”

Experts believe the new medicine could save around 30,000 lives and prevent 55,000 heart attacks and strokes in the UK within the next decade.

Further research is looking into whether inclisiran could also be used on a preventive basis.