New research details the first oral drug for the treatment of a type of high cholesterol — called Lp(a) — that is a potentially more dangerous version of the so called ‘bad’ cholesterol, LDL, because it is stickier and may be more likely to cause blockages and blood clots in your arteries. It is estimated that up to 20% of people worldwide have high levels of Lp(a), which is associated with a person’s risk of experiencing a heart attack, strokes or other serious cardiac event. Importantly Lp(a) can be present even in younger adults and otherwise healthy people with no other known cardiovascular risks — and often remains undetected until a cardiac event has occurred.
