Breakthrough medication for lower cholesterol

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 30 (Bernama) -- Nyrada Inc, a US-based biotechnology company has made important progress with a drug candidate, NYX-330 which may be the next breakthrough medication for heart attack and stroke.

NYX-330 is designed to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the action of a protein, PCSK9 which has become one of the most highly valued targets in the pharmaceutical world since its discovery about 13 years ago.

Nyrada in a statement said a drug that successfully inhibits the protein has been hailed as potentially rivalling the US$12 billion (RM49.56 billion) annual sales a few years ago of the anti-cholesterol drug, Lipitor, the biggest-selling drug the world has seen. (US$1 = RM4.13)

Having a combined treatment with a statin drug (the key cholesterol-fighting drug) and another drug to block PCSK9 function is what is driving a major race in the pharmaceutical industry to find a PCSK9-inhibitor that doctors and patients will embrace.

Chairman of Nyrada and managing director of Noxopharm, Dr Graham Kelly said: "PCSK9 works by holding cholesterol in the bloodstream, slowing down its removal from the blood.

"That's a normal function. The problem comes when our bodies make too much PCSK9. The result is reduced clearance resulting in higher cholesterol levels in blood.

"We now know that one of the consequences of statin therapy is an increase in PCSK9 levels, a normal response on the body’s part to less cholesterol being produced in the body."

Owen Dempsey, US-based executive director of Nyrada and biotech entrepreneur, meanwhile, said about one in four Americans over the age of 45 was now taking statin drugs. “As good as statins are, they can do with extra help to bring cholesterol levels down to ground-floor levels in most people.

"The opportunity we are chasing is a drug that could become a standard co-treatment with statins to deliver those desired levels. A co-treatment to a US$19 billion (RM78.47 billion) market is a very substantial market,” he added.

NYX-330 is currently undergoing studies in France and elsewhere designed to optimise its function, with an anticipated 15-18 months before it will be ready to bring into the clinic.

-- BERNAMA