‘Revolutionary’ New Treatment can Lower Bad Cholesterol by up to 62% — with Just One Dose

. . .Pharma giant Eli Lilly announced Monday that its gene-editing therapy can reduce LDL (“bad”) cholesterol by up to 62% with a single infusion.

Not only was the experimental treatment successful, but the results were still apparent in some participants 18 months after they received the dose.

While most gene therapies target rare disorders, this new treatment could lower the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in the US.

A single dose of VERVE-102 “switches off” a gene known as PCSK9 that plays a role in the amount of LDL cholesterol the liver can detect and remove from the bloodstream. Less PCSK9 means less bad cholesterol.

An early-stage trial published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine tracked 35 patients with heart disease or genetically high levels of LDL cholesterol. (Read more from “‘Revolutionary’ New Treatment can Lower Bad Cholesterol by up to 62% — with Just One Dose” HERE)