Catapano (Sisa): “Against cardiac events, it is fundamental to lower LDL cholesterol”

“The link between LDL cholesterol, commonly called bad cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease is beyond any doubt. It is a causal link, demonstrated by genetics, biology, epidemiology, research studies and above all by clinical trials in which it has been seen that, by lowering cholesterol”, there is “a reduction in events. Lowering LDL cholesterol brings benefits”. This was stated by Alberico Catapano, president of Sisa, the Italian Society for the Study of Atherosclerosis, participating this morning in Milan in the launch of the Novartis campaign ‘From Heart to Heart’, sponsored by the Italian Association of Heart Failure Patients (Aisc) and the Italian Heart Foundation (Fipc), to support the educational project ‘Listen to your heartbeat’.

In particular, “for subjects at high risk” of cardiovascular events, explains Catapano, “we must try to stay away from all values” of LDL “higher than 70 mg/dl and, for patients at very high risk, 55 mg/dl”. From the point of view of therapeutic options, “fortunately” there are “many new developments in synthetic molecules. Today we have new synthetic molecules that inhibit Pcsk9, to be taken orally, but above all small interfering RNA, molecules that directly affect the hepatocyte and inhibit the production of messenger RNA for the proteins of interest with the inhibition of the production of Pcsk9 and therefore the reduction of LDL cholesterol”.