SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Food and Drug Administration [FDA] has approved a new drug called Leqvio to combat high cholesterol.
ABC10 Health Expert Dr. Tom Hopkins said there are many medications currently on the market that block the production of cholesterol. Those are typically referred to as statins. This new medication is designed to attack the condition in a different way.
This means someone on statins who needs more help, could have a new alternative. The new drug is injectable, so a patient may not have to take it as frequently as a pill. It could also cause fewer side effects, but its not meant to work alone.
"None of these medications work very well in isolation," Dr. Hopkins said. "They're not substitutes for a good diet that's well balanced, low in cholesterol, and they don't do anything to improve the way you would exercise, so our habits are still very important."
High cholesterol isn't specific to a certain age group. It's the risk.
"So, some people can be younger. People who have a family history, they have a familial type of hypercholesterolemia or high cholesterol where it starts earlier in the course of their lives and then they're more likely have earlier consequences of that," Dr. Hopkins said.
He said pediatricians even screen for high cholesterol because early intervention is key.
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