Researchers at pharmaceutical companies Sanofi and Regeneron have developed two different drugs that might turn out to be the first wave of products that drastically lower health risks connected to heart attacks and strokes, according to preliminary evidence from studies presented this weekend.

The studies were both published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and were presented at the annual American College of Cardiology meeting in San Diego. “To see a reduction in cardiovascular events already is very encouraging that we’re on the right track,” said Dr. Jennifer G. Robinson, the lead investigator in the trial of the Sanofi drug, during an interview.

The main purpose of the studies was actually to test the safety of using the drugs, and whether they were successful in lowering “bad” cholesterol. Statins, or drugs that help lower cholesterol levels, already exist on the market, but the new research shows that the two experimental drugs are much more efficient than anything previously seen. Despite these encouraging results, researchers warn that the initial test groups were small, and that much larger studies will be needed to determine whether the drugs really do alter risk levels for heart attacks and strokes.

“I do not think that either study answers the question definitively of cardiovascular benefit,” said Dr. Steven E. Nissen, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. Nissen was not involved in either study.

Amgen’s study used 4,465 participants of various risk levels, and administered their new drug to two-thirds of the group on top of the medications they were already taking. After one year, the risk of cardiovascular “events” for people who took the drug was lowered by 53 percent.

The study involved 2,341 participants and stretched over one and a half years. Cardiovascular risk was decreased by 48 percent among participants who took the drug, compared to those who took a placebo.

Of course, a longer course of testing will be needed to determine the full effects of the drugs. For instance, the lack of a placebo in the Amgen study could have influenced the results, according to Dr. Sanjay Kaul, a cardiologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Although the preliminary studies seemed to indicate the drugs’ safety, there was some evidence that usage could lead to memory problems.