Health Discoveries in General Health News
Thyroid medicine lowers cholesterol without significant side effects
April 24, 2010
An international research team that includes an endocrinologist from the North Shore-LIJ Health System has determined that an experimental thyroid drug reduces cholesterol without the patient experiencing significant side effects.
The study, published in a recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, involved scientists from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Karolinska University Hospital and Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and North Shore's research arm, the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.
The experimental drug Eprotirome was tested on 189 people with high cholesterol over a 3-month period without risks to heart or bone health, the researchers found. Other thyroid hormones used to reduce cholesterol have induced side effects that include anxiety and heart palpitations, muscle weakness and bone thinning.
Dr. Irwin Klein, whose research at the Feinstein Institute focuses on the connection between the thyroid and heart health, said the drug may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. "Every percentage that you lower cholesterol, you lower the risk for heart disease," he said. "High cholesterol is the single most modifiable risk factor."
The study, now in Phase II, is supported by Karo Bio in Sweden, a company that is developing the Eprotirome. The drug lowers a cholesterol product in the blood called lipoprotein A by 33 percent, the researchers found.
The study, published in a recent issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, involved scientists from Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, the Karolinska University Hospital and Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, and North Shore's research arm, the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research.
The experimental drug Eprotirome was tested on 189 people with high cholesterol over a 3-month period without risks to heart or bone health, the researchers found. Other thyroid hormones used to reduce cholesterol have induced side effects that include anxiety and heart palpitations, muscle weakness and bone thinning.
Dr. Irwin Klein, whose research at the Feinstein Institute focuses on the connection between the thyroid and heart health, said the drug may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. "Every percentage that you lower cholesterol, you lower the risk for heart disease," he said. "High cholesterol is the single most modifiable risk factor."
The study, now in Phase II, is supported by Karo Bio in Sweden, a company that is developing the Eprotirome. The drug lowers a cholesterol product in the blood called lipoprotein A by 33 percent, the researchers found.