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October 13, 2015

New Therapies in the Treatment of High Cholesterol: An Argument to Return to Goal-Based Lipid Guidelines

Author Affiliations
  • 1CVS Health, Woonsocket, Rhode Island
JAMA. 2015;314(14):1443-1444. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.10017

On July 25, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved alirocumab (Praluent), the first in a new class, the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK-9) inhibitors. Approval of a second medication in the class is expected shortly. The injected medications are used to treat patients with hyperlipidemia, and early results suggest these drugs have a powerful effect on levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), likely more potent than statins.1 Although evidence continues to accumulate, the class appears to represent an important new development in hyperlipidemia management.

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