Rejected, Unfilled Prescriptions for new, more expensive Cholesterol Drugs tied to higher Heart, Stroke Risk

Dallas, TX – Patients appear to be at higher risk of heart problems or stroke when prescriptions for the newest cholesterol-lowering drugs are rejected by insurance companies or unfilled by patients, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.

The drugs, PCSK9 inhibitors (PCSK9i), can substantially lower levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, the “bad” cholesterol) in the blood.

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American Heart Association says Genetically inherited High Cholesterol increases long-term risks of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke

American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report

Dallas, TX – Patients who experience high cholesterol due to an inherited genetic disorder from one of their parents—heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia— are much more likely than those with average cholesterol levels to have diseases caused by hardening of the arteries, including an accelerated onset of coronary heart disease by up to 30 years, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.

The inherited form of high cholesterol—familial hypercholesterolemia—is a genetic disorder that is passed down through families.

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American Heart Association says Genetically inherited High Cholesterol twice as common as believed

American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report

Dallas, TX – Genetically inherited high levels of cholesterol are twice as common in the United States as previously believed, affecting 1 in 250 adults, according to new research in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

The condition, familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), leads to severely elevated cholesterol levels from birth and is a leading cause of early heart attack.

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