BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
The next real breakthrough drug to prevent killer heart attacks and strokes is on the forefront. It is a story WAFB Medical Correspondent Phil Rainier uncovered at Pennington Biomedical Research Center right here in Baton Rouge.
Most everybody knows somebody who takes Lipitor or some other cholesterol lowering drug. It is a statin drug. As medicines go, they revolutionized a heart doctor's ability to save lives. Now researchers right here in Baton Rouge are poised to take the next step.
Leo Segalla has a history of heart problems. "I had a bypass in 1990 and another one in 2000," he said.
Surgery and cholesterol lowering medicine may be the only thing keeping Leo from having another heart attack; but is it enough?
Maybe not. The statin drugs Leo takes are good for getting bad cholesterol under control, but it does little to increase HDL, the good cholesterol.
According to cardiologist Chip Lavie, that only addresses half the heart attack problems. "Studies show that HDL, good cholesterol, actually correlates with more heart disease than does LDL cholesterol," said Lavie.
A pill called Anacetrapib could be a game changer. Early research shows it has the potential to increase HDL cholesterol in the blood of heart patients by as much as 60 percent. That is compared to 5 to 10 percent with current therapies.
Lead Researcher Timothy Church says "If it works out the way it looks like, it might. It's really gonna change the way we treat cardiovascular disease, not just in the U.S., but the world."
The fact is, Anacetrapib could be the first new pill in years to prevent blockages that lead to heart attacks and strokes, better than the statin drugs doctors now use.
Leo has high hopes for the experimental medicine, not just for him. "I have a couple of sons, one who also has diabetes and some heart trouble so, hopefully this will get new drugs, better drugs for him," he said.
Leo worries about his son because diabetes is a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes and he has high cholesterol. If approved, Anacetrapib could save his life.
Because Pennington Researchers want to find out if Anacetrapib can prevent heart attacks and strokes, study volunteers must have a history of those kinds of problems or other cardiovascular issues.
You also have to be at least 50 years old. Click here to find information on participating in a clinical trial.
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