Ezetimibe (Zetia), approved in late October, represents the first new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs in 15 years. Ezetimibe, an intestinal cholesterol absorption inhibitor, has a unique mechanism of action, distinct from those of statins and bile acid sequestrants. When used as monotherapy, ezetimibe lowers low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels up to 18.5%. Coadministration of ezetimibe with statin therapy reduces LDL-C levels up to an additional 22%. The article reviews ezetimibe?s chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and clinical trial results.
FDA Approves Combination Therapy for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension
March 25th 2024J&J’s Opsynvi is single-tablet combination of macitentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist, and tadalafil, a PDE5 inhibitor. It will be priced on parity with Opsumit, which is also a J&J product to treat patients with PAH.
FDA Issues Complete Response Letter for Onpattro in Heart Failure Indication
October 9th 2023Alnylam Pharmaceuticals will no longer pursue this indication of Onpattro and will instead on focus on a label expansion for Amvuttra, which is in phase 3 development to treat patients with cardiomyopathy of ATTR amyloidosis.