Long term results are promising for the investigational monoclonal antibody alirocumab. According to the results, the medication helps to significantly reduce cholesterol in conjunction with regular statin therapy while also reducing the occurrence of cardiovascular events, according to researchers in a Hot Line session on August 31 at ESC Congress 2014.

The ODYSSEY LONG TERM TRIAL involving alirocumab is the largest Phase 3 study. The study also has the longest follow-up data for proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, a new class of drugs.

The study’s principal investigator, Jennifer Robinson, MD, said in a statement, “Alirocumab is the first nonstatin that appears to reduce additional cardiovascular events on top of statin therapy, and this is very encouraging since previous trials of various lipid-lowering and other drugs have failed to find this.”

Robinson continued, “Given the data available, alirocumab should prove a useful addition for lowering low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in high risk patients, including those with genetic high cholesterol or who cannot tolerate the recommended dose of statin.”

A total of 2431 patients, aged approximately 65 years, were involved in the study. Participants who had high cholesterol and were at high cardiovascular risk or who had heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, an inherited disease with no current treatments that can effectively lower cholesterol.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 71 million American adults, or 33.5 percent have high LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol.