A Cleveland Clinic doctor highlights its place among the first approved cholesterol-lowering therapies targeting this risk factor said to affect 20% of the population.
A New Drug Could Lower Heart Attack and Stroke Risk by 94% for Some Patients
Published on May 01, 2025
National data shows that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S., so many of us are aware how important it is to watch what you eat, take your medication, or exercise regularly in an effort to fend off the chance of a cardiovascular event. However, there’s a genetic risk factor related to cholesterol that many Americans aren’t even aware of.
Lipoprotein(a), a type of “bad” cholesterol, is a common heart disease risk factor, says the American Heart Association (AHA), largely caused by genetics and passed down by family members. Elevated Lp(a) levels can cause plaque to build up in the heart, which, in turn, increases the risk of experiencing a heart attack, stroke, or other serious health issues.
But even though approximately 20% of the world’s population has increased Lp(a) levels, it’s largely symptomless—and, notes the AHA, “You can have high Lp(a) even if you live a healthy lifestyle and manage other heart disease risks.”
Though a blood test can detect elevated Lp(a), “It’s not part of a standard lipid panel that checks the kinds of cholesterol everyone talks about,” the Cleveland Clinic explains. That means your doctor may have to specifically request it.
However, from the world of medicine recently came some big news: There’s a promising drug that could significantly cut this risk factor. A March 2025 study, published in the trusted New England Journal of Medicine, included a total of 320 study participants, all of whom were 40 or older and had high Lp(a) levels. The participants received either an injectable drug, called lepodisiran, or a placebo.
Ultimately, reduced Lp(a) levels were measured in those who received lepodisiran. In fact, the drug lowered Lp(a) by an average of 93.9% for those who received the highest dose.
Further, the drug’s positive effects were measured for a year or more among participants who received the highest dose.
The study’s findings—compiled by a research team of health professionals from the Cleveland Clinic, the University of Texas Southwestern, Australia’s Victorian Heart Institute, and the drug company Lilly—were also presented last month at the American College of Cardiology’s 2025 Scientific Sessions.
One of the study’s co-authors, Steven Nissen, MD, chief academic officer of the Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, highlighted the importance of the phase 2 trial in a press release: “Unfortunately, there are no approved cholesterol-lowering therapies specifically for this genetic risk factor, and lifestyle changes like diet and exercise do not provide meaningful reductions,” also noting that the study’s “significant and sustained” reductions in Lp(a) were very encouraging.
“Reducing the inherited cardiovascular risk for patients with high Lp(a) has long been a critically unmet need,” said Ruth Gimeno, group vice president, diabetes, obesity and cardiometabolic research at Lilly. “These results offer hope for a long-term, durable treatment option.”
A phase 3 trial is scheduled next, said Dr. Nissen, with an anticipated 12,500 participants.
For daily wellness updates, subscribe to The Healthy by Reader’s Digest newsletter and follow The Healthy on Facebook and Instagram. Keep reading:
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