Case study: PCSK9 cholesterol-lowing drugs

LDL-cholesterol is known as “bad cholesterol” because at high levels it can cause plaque to accumulate on your artery walls and increase the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Statins (such as atorvastatin, fluvastatin, lovastatin and et al.) are one of the most common pharmaceutical methods used to lower cholesterol but some patients do not have a response to statin treatments. Therefore, in 2015, PCSK9 inhibitors were approved by the FDA as new treatment to reduce cholesterol levels. The inhibitors target a protein in the liver known as proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9).

This video will introduce the history of the development of PCSK9 inhibitors.