WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - March 17, 2017) - The FOURIER trial lead investigators announced today that the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 15%. The detailed results from the FOURIER outcomes trial were presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session Friday, March 17 in Washington, D.C.
While PCSK9 inhibitors have proven success in reducing LDL-C, those studies lacked outcomes and long-term safety data.
"We now have convincing data that additional lowering of LDL-C to very low levels produces important incremental outcomes benefit in stable ASCVD patients on optimal statin therapy," said Peter Jones, MD, FNLA, Chief Science Officer for the National Lipid Association.
The FOURIER Trial studied 27,564 patients who had a prior MI, ischemic stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease and a LDL ≥70 mg/dL or a non-HDL-C ≥100 mg/dL with optimal statin therapy. The mean baseline LDL-C was 92 mg/dL and the on-treatment LDL-C was 30 mg/dL, a reduction in mean LDL cholesterol of 59%.
"The proven clinical benefit of reducing LDL-C through PCSK9 inhibition appears to be safe, and we believe the EBBINGHAUS study results at ACC will provide additional support of cognitive safety," said Dr. Jones.
The Trial also revealed consistent results in patients across all baseline LDL-C quartiles and no significant adverse effects as compared to placebo, except 2.1% injection-site reactions versus 1.6% on placebo.
"FOURIER supports that patients with ASCVD benefit from LDL lowering below current targets and offers another tool in the management of patients with lipid disorders," said Joyce Ross, MSN, CRNP, CLS, FNLA, President of the National Lipid Association.
The FOURIER results were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The National Lipid Association will also be hosting a Prime Time Event on the evening of Friday, March 17, to discuss the challenges physicians face in prescribing PCSK9 inhibitors. For more information on this event, visit lipid.org/nla@acc17.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL LIPID ASSOCIATION
The NLA is a multidisciplinary specialty society focused on prevention of cardiovascular disease and other lipid-related disorders. The NLA's mission is to enhance the practice of lipid management in clinical medicine, and one of its goals is to enhance efforts to reduce death and disability related to disorders of lipid metabolism in patients. Members include physicians (MDs and DOs), as well as clinical team affiliates, from an array of disciplines including PhD researchers, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, exercise physiologists, and dietitians.
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Contact Information:
Melissa Heyboer
904-309-6203
mheyboer@lipid.org
