New drugs that lower cholesterol levels more effectively than statins may also halve patients' chances of suffering a heart attack and dying, according to new research.
The drugs, known as PCSK9 inhibitors, work by stopping a protein that raises levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol.
By contrast, statins work by stopping the liver producing cholesterol in the first place. Another common drug, ezetimibe, works by reducing how much cholesterol is absorbed through the intestine and into the blood. Neither treatment reduces cholesterol as much as the PCSK9s.
The drugs, known as PCSK9 inhibitors, work by stopping a protein that raises levels of 'bad' LDL cholesterol.
Previous research showed that the new drugs - known as evolocumab, alirocumab and bococizumab, given by injection - lower LDL cholesterol by up to 70 per cent in some groups of patients.
