PCSK9 inhibitors and cardiovascular disease: impact on cardiovascular outcomes.

PCSK9 inhibitors and cardiovascular disease: impact on cardiovascular outcomes. Curr Drug Discov Technol. 2018 Dec 10;: Authors: Farmaki P, Damaskos C, Garbis N, Garbi A, Savvanis S, Diamantis E Abstract Cardiovascular disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the western world. Hypolipidemic drugs have long been used for the primary and secondary prevention of heart disease. However, the high frequency of recurrent events in patients despite on hypolipidemic therapy has increased the need for new more targeted therapeutic approaches. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are monoclonal antibodies to the PCSK9 gene and represent a new class of drugs that have been shown to further decrease LDL-C when administered as a monotherapy or in combination with statins. In addition to LDL reduction, PCSK9 inhibitors are shown to decrease apolipoprotein B and lipoprotein(a) levels without major adverse effects. Whether or not PCSK9 inhibitors can actually reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events and ameliorate CAD prognosis is yet to be clarified. This review summarizes recent literature on the safety and efficacy of PCSK9 inhibitors on CAD outcome and its potential role in the management of patients with high-risk cardiovascular disease. PMID: 30526464 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Drug Discovery Technologies - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tags: Curr Drug Discov Technol Source Type: research