Inclisiran for lowering LDL-C yields real-world results

Treatment with inclisiran in real-world settings appears to produce significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) at 2 months with good tolerability, with results consistent with that reported in previous trials, according to a study.

In this retrospective study, researchers examined the medical records of the first 80 patients (mean age 64 years, 65 percent men) who received a single dose of inclisiran at their lipid clinic. They looked at baseline blood tests taken prior to the start of treatment and at 2 months follow-up. Adverse events data were also assessed.

At baseline, 30 patients (37.5 percent) had familial hypercholesterolemia, and 42 (52.5 percent) were taking a statin as part of their lipid-lowering therapy. Thirty-seven patients (46.3 percent) had poor tolerance to statins, while two (2.5 percent) patients with diagnoses of myositis and myotonic dystrophy, respectively, had statin contraindication.

The baseline lipid profile was as follows: mean total cholesterol was 5.8 mmol/L, mean LDL-C was 3.5 mmol/L, mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was 1.3 mmol/L, and median triglycerides was 1.6 mmol/L.

At 2 months after treatment initiation, mean baseline LDL-C dropped by 48.6 percent, from 3.5 mmol/L to 1.8 mmol/L (p<0.0001). Likewise, total cholesterol decreased by 33.3 percent, from 5.7 mmol/L to 3.8 mmol/L (p<0.0001).

Mean high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased by 7.7 percent to 1.4 mmol/L (p=0.02), while median triglycerides fell by 31.3 percent to 1.1 mmol/L (p=0.001).

Three patients experienced adverse events such as injection site reaction, fatigue, and headache, all of which had self-resolved by follow-up.