Does a cholesterol drug help prevent strokes?
Stroke Prevention With the PCSK9 (Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin-Kexin Type 9) Inhibitor Evolocumab Added to Statin in High-Risk Patients With Stable Atherosclerosis
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Evolocumab reduced stroke risk even in patients already on statins with well-controlled cholesterol.
Many assumed that once LDL is lowered by statins, further reductions wouldn’t add much benefit—this study challenges that idea.
Practical Takeaways
For high-risk patients with atherosclerosis on statins, adding evolocumab may further reduce stroke risk.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Evolocumab reduced stroke risk even in patients already on statins with well-controlled cholesterol.
Many assumed that once LDL is lowered by statins, further reductions wouldn’t add much benefit—this study challenges that idea.
Practical Takeaways
For high-risk patients with atherosclerosis on statins, adding evolocumab may further reduce stroke risk.
Publication
Journal
Stroke
Year
2020
Authors
R. Giugliano, T. Pedersen, J. Saver, P. Sever, A. Keech, E. Bohula, S. Murphy, S. Wasserman, Narimon Honarpour, Hong Wang, Armando Lira Pineda, M. Sabatine
Related Content
Claims (4)
Taking a drug called evolocumab can lower the chance of having a first major heart problem by 25% in people at high risk who’ve never had a heart attack or stroke before.
For people with clogged arteries who are already taking cholesterol drugs, adding a medicine called evolocumab can help lower their chance of having a stroke.
For people with hardened arteries who are on cholesterol-lowering drugs, adding a drug called evolocumab doesn’t seem to raise their risk of bleeding in the brain.
For people with clogged arteries who are already on cholesterol drugs, adding a medicine called evolocumab helps lower their risk of heart problems — and it works pretty well even for those who've had a stroke before, though the benefit might be a bit smaller for them.