The same team behind the HPV vaccine has created another breakthrough vaccine- one that is said to lower cholesterol better than statins.
Researchers from the University of New Mexico and the National Institutes of health in the U.S. collaborated and developed the new vaccine that targets PCSK9, a protein that regulates the cholesterol in the blood. The vaccine is designed to stop the protein from doing its job, thus lowering the amount of cholesterol that binds with the blood.
Statins are often used by patients who need to lower their cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. However, it is known for its side effects such as headache, difficulty sleeping, muscle inflammation, nausea and abdominal pain. About 17 million people in the U.S. use statins.
"Statins are still the most commonly prescribed medication for cholesterol. Although they are effective in many people, do have side effects and don't work for everyone," Dr. Alan Remaley, one of the authors of the study from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, said in a press release. "The results of our vaccine were very striking, and suggest it could be a powerful new treatment for high cholesterol."
The vaccine has been tested on mice and macaques, and both showed a 55 percent reduction in the LDL, or bad, cholesterol compared to the 30 percent improvement of the group that used statins, according to The Telegraph.
"One of the most exiting things about this new vaccine is it seems to be much more effective than statins alone," said Dr. Bryce Chackerian, one of the authors of the study from the University of New Mexico.
The researchers believe that that since the vaccine worked for the animal subjects, it might be effective for humans, too. However, they didn't mention when they plan to start human trials.
The study was published in the Nov. 10 issue of Vaccine.
