Eprotirome Dramatically Reduces Level of Serum Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Augmentation of statin treatment with the drug eprotirome lowers levels of heart disease risk factors such as LDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and Lp(a) to a significantly greater degree than the statin treatment alone.

Investigators at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute (Houston, TX, USA), Karolinska University Hospital (Stockholm, Sweden), and their colleagues at other institutions conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial to assess the safety and efficacy of the thyromimetic compound eprotirome (KB2115) in lowering the level of serum LDL cholesterol in patients with hypercholesterolemia who were already receiving simvastatin or atorvastatin. In addition to statin treatment, patients received either eprotirome (at a dose of 25, 50, or 100 micrograms per day) or a placebo. Changes in levels of serum apolipoprotein B, triglycerides, and Lp(a) lipoprotein were noted in addition to changes in serum LDL. Patients were monitored for potential adverse thyromimetic effects on the heart, bone, and pituitary.

Results published in the March 11, 2010, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that the addition of a placebo or eprotirome at a dose of 25 µg, 50 µg, or 100 µg daily to statin treatment for 12 weeks reduced the mean level of serum LDL cholesterol from 141 mg per deciliter to 127 mg (placebo), 113, 99, and 94 mg per deciliter, respectively. Similar reductions were seen in levels of serum apolipoprotein B, triglycerides, and Lp(a) lipoprotein. Eprotirome therapy was not associated with adverse effects on the heart or bone.

"Our study has shown a dramatic reduction in the dangerous fats that cause heart disease, the number one killer of Americans,” said contributing author Dr. John Baxter, director of the genomic medicine program at the Methodist Hospital Research Institute. "For patients taking a statin, this drug can further lower LDL cholesterol by 25% – on top of what the statin is doing. It is also as potent in lowering triglycerides as any current medication available today. It also lowers Lp(a), which is an under recognized factor that also causes atherosclerosis and is a common cause of heart attack in young people. Thus, eprotirome could be a major complement to the only current medication for this condition, niacin, which causes flushing side effects.”

Related Links:
The Methodist Hospital Research Institute
Karolinska University Hospital