UM Lipid Expert Presents New Recommendations for Cholesterol Reduction

New patient-centered guidelines for the use of PCSK9 inhibitors to reduce cholesterol have been issued by a panel of experts from the National Lipid Association (NLA) chaired by Carl E. Orringer, M.D., a top lipid expert at the University of Miami Health System and professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Cholesterol in blood stream.

According to the expert panel, “recent studies have demonstrated the efficacy of [PCSK9 inhibitors] in reducing LDL cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol and have confirmed their excellent safety profile.” The recommendations, titled “Update on the Use of PCSK9 Inhibitors in Adults: Recommendations from an Expert Panel of the National Lipid Association,” were published online May 19 in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. The evidence-based findings and new recommendations were presented at the NLA’s 15th Annual Scientific Session in Philadelphia May 18-21.

The updated guidelines, presented by Orringer on behalf of his NLA expert panel colleagues and collaborators, are based on the finding that antibody therapy inhibitors PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9) have been shown to safely reduce cholesterol levels.

In addition to Orringer, the expert panel was co-chaired by Terry Jacobson, M.D., past president of the NLA, professor of medicine, and director of the Office of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at Emory University.

Other paper authors are Joseph J. Saseen, Pharm.D., Alan S. Brown, M.D., Antonio M. Gotto, M.D., Joyce L. Ross, M.S.N., CRNP, and James A. Underberg, M.D.

“The National Lipid Association PCSK9 recommendation update provides a comprehensive overview of this class of medication with evidence-based and expert recommendations that allow practitioners to translate the data into high-quality patient care,” said Orringer, Jacobson and Underberg in a joint statement.

Tags: Carl Orringer, cholesterol reduction, Journal of Clinical Lipidology, national Lipid Association, PCSK9 inhibitors