A study presented at the 61st annual ACC meeting shows that injectable monoclonal antibodies can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) by 40 to 72 percent in patients who have had poor results with cholesterol-lowering drugs, including statins, which may offer a new treatment option. LDL-C can lead to the formation of arterial plaque, which can lead to heart disease, called “bad” cholesterol, and the statins that millions of Americans take increase LDL receptors on the surface of cells by inhibiting hepatocyte cholesterol production, and these receptors seize LDL from the circulating bloodstream, transport it to the liver and process it, and then excreted from the body, and about one fifth of patients with high LDL do not respond well to cholesterol-lowering drugs, including statins, and many other treatments in front of them do not adequately lower cholesterol. A recent study showed that statin treatment stimulates the production of PCSK9, which destroys LDL receptors. Preventing its destruction of LDL receptors. More LDL receptors means more LDL can be transported from the blood to liver cells, thus lowering circulating LDL-C. The lead investigator of this study, Professor James McKenney, deputy director of the National Clinical Trials, believes that statin treatment to lower LDL-C reduces the risk of heart disease, and that the greater the LDL-C reduction, the greater the risk of heart disease reduction, but that in some patients, even the best statin does not bring them up to standard. The multicenter randomized trial included 183 patients with LDL-C above 100 mg/dL who had been treated with atorvastatin at 10 mg, 20 mg, or 40 mg for at least 6 weeks and were divided into six groups: placebo group, 50 mg, 100 mg, or 150 mg given subcutaneously every 2 weeks, or 200 mg given every 4 weeks. The primary endpoint of the study was the degree of LDL-C reduction after 12 weeks. According to Dr. McKenney, the LDL-C target for our treatment was below 100or70mg/dL with all patients receiving one of these doses to achieve the target. Dr. McKenney believes that long-term studies are needed to clarify the long-term safety of the antibodies, but the results of the current trial are encouraging, with only one case of adverse effects. The study will be published both in the American Journal of Cardiology and online at the same time.