Merck has a potential blockbuster in Anacetrapib experimental cholesterol-drug, HDL or "good" cholesterol drastically increases even as you reduce LDL "bad" cholesterol.
But don't keep your Atem.Kardiologen, patients and investors will have to wait until at least until 2015 to determine whether the drug protects heart, by reduced heart attacks and other heart circulation problems, said Merck.
Anacetrapib works by inhibiting an enzyme called CETP that is involved in the conversion of particles of the good cholesterol in bad cholesterol.
In a study published in the New England Journal of medicine researchers reported that patients in the group where a Anacetrapib seen 39.8 percent reduction in bad cholesterol, also in the placebo group hatte.Mehr striking is the Anacetrapib Group had an increase good cholesterol, 138.1 percent said the study.
This is promising in theory, doctors said good cholesterol because epidemiological studies - the kind that consider the illness in a population - have an association between high and reported a lower risk of heart problems.
But the true impact of Anacetrapib on heart health from will be unknown until researchers a much larger study lead investigating whether the drug, can reduce the risk of heart attacks, coronary deaths and other heart problems, said Dr. Luciano Rossetti, head of global scientific strategy at Merck research laboratories.
The study on Tuesday "are promising and reassuring, but inconclusive," Dr. Rossetti said in a telephone interview. "This is why we are forward with 30,000 patients in a very large results study."
Researcher in Oxford at the Dienstag.Die Merck is about 150 million US dollars - the larger study, sponsor coordinated at Oxford University £ 96 million expenditure - results of this study will be known before 2015, said Rossetti said Dr..
Merck needs such results data before it approval of food and Drug Administration on the market said the drug cardiologists searches because a similar experimental cholesterol drug Pfizer proved to be problematic.
In 2004 a phase i study of persons, the Pfizer drug, a CETP inhibitor Torcetrapib called, reported that it could improve good cholesterol and bad cholesterol reduction.
But later a large results study showed that the drug increases the risk of death by 59 percent and heart attacks by 25 percent. After spending more than develop $800 million, the drug, Pfizer ended the project in the year 2006.
Dr. Rossetti said Merck researchers intensively the disadvantages the Pfizer drug to ensure that there was no similar problems with its own drug.Torcetrapib, such as levels of aldosterone, can increase a hormone, can increase blood pressure, he said.
But the new study involving 1623 reported patients who were your cholesterol control with Statins that there no significant differences in change of blood pressure or aldosterone levels between Anacetrapib groups and placebo.
The study also reported that there were 16 cardiac events - including four deaths from heart cycle causes-Anacetrapib group compared with 21 major heart problems, including a Cardiavascular relating to death in the Placebogruppe.Aber the difference was not statistically significant Studie.Die Anacetrapib group said to 28 in the placebo group experienced eight compared less Revascularization - operations.
Dr. Howard Weintraub, a cardiologist, he who is the Clinical Director of the Center for the prevention of cardiovascular disease at NYU Langone Medical Center said anacetrapib's ability to raise good cholesterol was beeindruckend.Aber, said cardiologists not yet know whether artificially increase the good cholesterol levels automatically a protective effect on the heart hat.Dr.Weintraub is a speaker for Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Abbott.
Good cholesterol, said Dr. Weintraub, works like a garbage truck with to the Recycle Bin, the bad cholesterol password.but quality, not only the amount that may be very important for reducing the risk of heart disease, said good cholesterol er.Aber artificially increase that good cholesterol with drug can do not have the same effect on the heart as naturally increase only study on Anacetrapib can answer this question the larger results, he said.
In the meantime should Dr. Weintraub said people remember that some changes of the quality of life of their heart health can improve.
"" The American public should remember that the best way to improve HDL and triglycerides and exercise to lose weight and watch your diet, ", said Dr. Weintraub."These two markers are very sensitive to lifestyle changes."
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