[PCSK9 inhibitors : New treatment option in clinical practice]

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) binds to low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors leading to their degradation in the liver. Inhibition of PCSK9 leads to an increase in LDL receptors and as a result to a reduction of LDL cholesterol in blood. Currently, two antibodies against PCSK9 are available for clinical treatment in Germany, evolocumab (Repatha®) and alirocumab (Praluent®). Clinical studies have shown that treatment with these antibodies, which must be subcutaneously injected by patients every 2 or 4 weeks, in addition to an already existing lipid therapy can lower the LDL cholesterol level in blood by an average of 50-60 %. Data from previous study programs show that this treatment is safe although long-term data are still lacking. The results of currently running cardiovascular endpoint studies are not yet available, whereby a beneficial effect is to be expected after the preliminary analyses. These novel effective therapy approaches open up new perspectives for the treatment of patients whose LDL cholesterol values are still in excess of the corresponding target values despite previous maximum lipid-reducing therapy and suffer from a preexisting cardiovascular disease, statin intolerance, genetic forms of familiar hypercholesterolemia and patients on LDL apheresis.