New Pill Slashes “Bad” Cholesterol and Heart Attack Risk in Just 12 Weeks

Scitech Daily ^ | June 12, 2025 | Monash University

[Red Badger]

A new cholesterol-lowering pill may offer a breakthrough for those at risk of heart attack and stroke. A major international study led by Monash University has revealed a promising new way to help protect people at high risk of heart attacks and strokes. Researchers found that a new cholesterol-lowering medication could be more effective and easier to use than current treatments.

The study, known as the BROADWAY trial, tested a once-daily oral drug called Obicetrapib. Results showed that it significantly reduced levels of LDL cholesterol and lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a). Both are key contributors to heart disease and are often difficult to manage.

The Phase 3 trial results were presented by Professor Stephen Nicholls, Director of Monash University’s Victorian Heart Institute and Monash Health’s Victorian Heart Hospital, as a late-breaking clinical study at the European Atherosclerosis Society Congress in Glasgow, UK, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

According to Professor Nicholls, this breakthrough offers new hope for patients who have not been able to meet their cholesterol goals despite using the best treatments currently available.

Dual Benefit: LDL and Lp(a) Reduction

“We know that many people at high risk of heart attack or stroke don’t get their cholesterol levels low enough, even on the best available treatments,” Professor Nicholls said.

“Obicetrapib offers a promising new option – not only did it lower LDL cholesterol by over 30 per cent, but we also saw a reduction in Lp(a), which is much harder to treat and has been linked to increased heart disease risk.”

LDL cholesterol, often referred to as ‘bad cholesterol’, builds up in blood vessels and increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a lesser-known but inherited risk factor that can also accelerate artery damage – and unlike LDL, there are currently no widely approved treatments to lower it.

BROADWAY Trial Outcomes

In the BROADWAY trial, more than 2,500 participants with established heart disease or genetic high cholesterol were given either Obicetrapib or a placebo, in addition to their regular cholesterol medications. After 12 weeks, those on Obicetrapib had dropped their LDL cholesterol by 32.6 per cent and Lp(a) by 33.5 per cent on average – many achieved guideline-recommended targets for the first time.

Obicetrapib was also well tolerated, with a safety profile similar to earlier trials.

“This could be a valuable tool in the fight against heart disease,” Professor Nicholls said. “It’s convenient, it’s effective, and it may help close the gap for patients who’ve run out of options.”

Reference:

Safety and Efficacy of Obicetrapib in Patients at High Cardiovascular Risk”

by Stephen J. Nicholls, Adam J. Nelson, Marc Ditmarsch, John J.P. Kastelein, Christie M. Ballantyne, Kausik K. Ray, Ann Marie Navar, Steven E. Nissen, Mariko Harada-Shiba, Danielle L. Curcio, Annie Neild, Douglas Kling, Andrew Hsieh, Julie Butters, Brian A. Ference, Ulrich Laufs, Maciej Banach, Roxana Mehran, Alberico L. Catapano, Yong Huo, Michael Szarek, Violeta Balinskaite and Michael H. Davidson, 6 May 2025, New England Journal of Medicine.

DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2415820

Funded by NewAmsterdam Pharma, the international BROADWAY trial is investigating the effect of Obicetrapib on lipid levels and aims to characterise its safety and side-effect profile in patients at high risk of cardiovascular events. The multinational, randomised, placebo-controlled trial involves patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease who were receiving maximum tolerated doses of lipid-lowering therapy.

[Bigg Red]

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