A single plan of a new medication can reduce cholesterol levels up to 69%, according to the first results of a clinical trial which has not yet been examined by peers.
Treatment, called verve -102, could transform the future of the prevention of heart attacks by considerably reducing the levels of a person’s LDL cholesterol – the so -called “bad” cholesterol – with a single injection.
Although statins can reduce a person’s cholesterol levels by similar levels, they usually have to be taken daily.
“It’s the future”, Professor Riyaz Patel – academic cardiologist at the University College of London and doctor of Barts Health Nhs Trust, who participated in the test – told BBC Science Focus.
“It is reality; It is not science fiction. We actually do it. I have had patients in the trial that receive this treatment at one and in-frills, and this will change the face of cholesterol management in the future. ”
Instead of managing cholesterol over time such as statins, Verve-102 aims to provide a punctual correction by “extinct” a specific gene, known as PCSK9, in the liver. This gene plays a key role in regulating the amount of LDL cholesterol that the liver can detect and remove from blood circulation.
Essentially, less PCSK9 leads to less LDL in the bloodstream.
“We see spectacular results,” said Patel. “This medication deactivates a tiny DNA fraction, and your LDL cholesterol is 50% lower for the rest of your life. That’s it. One and done. That will be revolutionary.”
Cholesterol can accumulate in the walls of blood vessels, forming plates which can possibly break and block blood flow.
High levels of LDL cholesterol increase the risk of this accumulation, which is why millions of people (more than 40 million in the United States and 7 million in the United Kingdom) take daily drugs like statins to help keep their cholesterol levels under control.
The Verve-102 clinical trial involved 14 participants with family hypercholesterolemia: a genetic condition that predisposes people to heart disease, heart attacks and strokes, due to very high LDL cholesterol.
The first results of the Verve-102 injection indicate that all participants responded to the drug, without serious side effects.
Different doses have led to different responses; The four individuals having received the lowest dose of Verve-102 have seen average reductions in their LDL cholesterol by 21%, while the average cohort underwent 41%reductions, and the highest dose resulted in a reduction of 53%.
But a participant, in the high dose group, reduced his 69% LDL cholesterol after receiving Verve-102.
Dr. Eugene Braunwald – an eminent professor of Hersey Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, who was not personally involved in this study – added that the initial test data was “promising” and that it suggested “the potential of a new era of treatment for cardiovascular disease”.
Verve is currently recruiting participants in a new stage in their clinical trial, which will receive an even higher dose of Verve-102, in the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, Australia and New Zealand. He plans to announce his final results in the second half of 2025.
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About our expert
Prof Riyaz Patel is a Consultant and University Clinical Cardiologist at the University College in London (UCL) and Barts Health NHS Trust. Patel is also a fully funded British Foundation clinician and Cardiology professor at UCL, conducting research on the causes of cardiac diseases, emphasizing cardiovascular risk and coronary genetics. He founded and directed a new cardiovascular prevention service at the Heart Center.
