An Anti-Cholesterol Shot Plus Why You Should See Your Heart Damage

Monthly injections of an experimental drug that can reduce cholesterol, as well as evidence that images of clogged arteries can motivate people to lose weight, were among the new studies presented at the American College of Cardiology's annual scientific sessions in Chicago this past weekend.

First up -- those scary scans of your coronary arteries. Apparently, seeing really is believing when it comes to convincing reluctant patients to get serious about their heart disease.

Two new studies found that patients who saw detailed CT scans that showed calcium build-up in their arteries (arrow pointing to white matter in the image at left), were much more likely to lose weight and take their cholesterol-lowering drugs regularly, compared to those who could see little evidence of artery disease in their scans.

The images are not just important for diagnosis, researchers said, but also for convincing patients to take their statin pills and make lifestyle changes that could greatly improve their heart health.

Researchers used  coronary calcium scans, which take highly detailed images of the walls of coronary arteries. Calcium in the walls is considered an early sign of heart disease, usually preceding the plaque build-up that can block blood flow to the heart.

Those patients with the highest calcium score -- meaning the most calcium accumulation -- were 2.5 times more likely to take statins as directed and more than three times as likely to lose weight. Those whose scans showed little calcium were much less likely to do either.

In other new developments from the conference: Results of an early-stage trial of an experimental drug from Amgen, Inc., showed that monthly injections of the new drug may slash levels of cholesterol by up to an addtional 66 percent in patients already taking statins, Reuters reported.

Drugmakers Amgen and Regeneron are both racing to develop medicines that cut cholesterol in a new way by blocking a protein called PCSK9 that carries LDL cholesterol through the bloodstream.

Amgen's AMG 145, given in either bi-weekly or monthly injections, cut levels of "bad" cholesterol by up to 75 percent when tested on patients already taking statins.

Patients who took low to moderate doses of statins and received injections of the new drug every two weeks had LDL cholesterol reductions of up to 75 percent after six weeks, the company said. Those who got shots monthly had up to a 66 percent reduction.

Researchers from Regeneron are slated to present the data from their studies today.

Photo credit: Allen J. Taylor, MD/Washington Hospital Center

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