How do different cholesterol medicines work?
Therapeutic PCSK9 targeting: Inside versus outside the hepatocyte?
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Monoclonal antibodies cause a compensatory rise in plasma PCSK9 levels, while inclisiran reduces them.
It’s counterintuitive that blocking a protein outside the cell would make the body produce more of it — like stepping on the brake and the car accelerating.
Practical Takeaways
For high-risk patients not reaching cholesterol goals on statins, PCSK9 inhibitors can provide up to an extra 50% LDL-C reduction.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Monoclonal antibodies cause a compensatory rise in plasma PCSK9 levels, while inclisiran reduces them.
It’s counterintuitive that blocking a protein outside the cell would make the body produce more of it — like stepping on the brake and the car accelerating.
Practical Takeaways
For high-risk patients not reaching cholesterol goals on statins, PCSK9 inhibitors can provide up to an extra 50% LDL-C reduction.
Publication
Journal
Pharmacology & therapeutics
Year
2025
Authors
A. Corsini, Henry N. Ginsberg, M. Chapman
Related Content
Claims (5)
Blocking a protein called PCSK9 with certain drugs helps your body remove bad cholesterol from your blood more effectively.
Inclisiran is a type of medicine that helps lower bad cholesterol by turning down a protein in the liver. It works longer than some other cholesterol drugs, so you don’t need to take it as often.
One type of cholesterol drug makes the body produce more of a protein called PCSK9, while another type actually reduces it — so they work in opposite ways even though they target the same thing.
Two newer cholesterol drugs, when added to the strongest statins, can cut bad cholesterol by another half — helping high-risk patients get their levels down to what doctors recommend.
These special lab-made antibodies grab onto a protein in your blood that messes with cholesterol cleanup, so your body can get rid of bad cholesterol better and lower your chances of heart problems.