Mary, a pseudonym used to protect her identity, fears for her family’s future.

Her husband, an engineer in his 40s, recently had a heart scare because of a severe blockage to the heart due to high cholesterol. Despite medications his heart health wasn’t improving. Mary is concerned about their children growing up without a father.

Each year, over 124,000 Filipinos die prematurely from ischemic heart disease caused by high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C or bad cholesterol) and plaque accumulation.

When high levels of LDL-C are untreated for a long time, they lead to the accumulation of fatty plaques in the arteries. These plaques clog the blood supply to the heart and increase the risk of heart attack.

Despite taking multiple cholesterol-lowering medications, the major arteries in the husband’s heart were obstructed by plaque. Worse, his condition is complicated by diabetes, hypertension, and muscle cramps due to intolerance to statin drugs.

To empower families to make informed decisions and prevent cardiovascular events due to uncontrolled LDL-C, Novartis together with the country’s leading cardiologists is launching “Turning Second Chances to Lifelong Victories: The siRNA Roadshow.”

“Maintaining LDL-C at less than 70mg/dl can remove plaques that have been accumulating for years. This can lower the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases,” said Dr. Lourdes Ella Santos, preventive cardiologist, clinical lipidologist & hypertension specialist.

Dr. Santos stressed that cholesterol recommendations should be based on individual patient risk factors rather than solely on laboratory results.

The latest international and local guidelines recommend LDL-C levels below 70 mg/dL for high-risk individuals and an even more aggressive target of below 55 mg/dL for people with a history of heart attack or stroke. The main treatment goal is to reduce bad cholesterol by at least 50% from the baseline value, even if the starting point is already relatively low.

“Lowering LDL-C cholesterol to less than 25mg/dL or even to single digits is safe based on clinical trials.” said Dr. Marc Louie Del Rosario, interventional cardiologist.

Cardiologists recommend targeting specific LDL-C levels to reduce a patient’s risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke. Based on individual risk factors, the following LDL-C goals are recommended:

● Low-Risk Patients = less than 116mg/dL

● Moderate-Risk Patients = less than 100 mg/dL

● High-Risk Patients = less than 70 mg/dL

● Very High-Risk Patients = less than 55 mg/dL

A new class of cholesterol-lowering treatment called small interfering RNA (siRNA) can help high-risk individuals like Mary’s husband reduce their LDL-C levels.

Inclisiran is a first-in-class small interfering RNA (siRNA) providing effective and sustained LDL-C reduction for patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), ASCVD risk equivalent and heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), which are major drivers of heart attacks, strokes and may ultimately lead to death.

Inclisiran has been shown to reduce LDL-C by up to 52% with just two doses per year. This reduction in LDL-C levels further decreases the risk of heart attack and stroke, especially in people having difficulty reaching their LDL-C goal with traditional therapy. Inclisiran works best with statin therapy and is an exciting addition to proven effective therapies for LDL-C control.

Thanks to the advice of the medical team and the availability of innovative treatments, Mary’s husband had the option to forgo an angioplasty and go for a more conservative approach to unclog his heart arteries, reduce plaque buildup, and prevent a heart attack.

In February 2024, the husband received his first dose of Inclisiran. Within a month, his LDL-C decreased to below 20mg/dL levels, a significant reduction that further decreases the risk of future cardiovascular events and reverses the progression of plaque buildup.

Reassured by the knowledge that her husband can now effectively control his LDL-C, Mary and her family finally have peace of mind to live life with optimism.

Innovative treatments like Inclisiran provide high-risk individuals with more options to effectively manage their cardiovascular health. By significantly lowering the LDL-C levels and risk of heart disease, Inclisiran offers patients and their loved ones renewed hope for a brighter and more secure future.

“Patients who receive life-saving therapies invest in a better tomorrow for them and their loved ones. Life is about cost, and what is costly is not being able to enjoy another birthday with your family, not being able to enjoy another day with your loved ones. With the right treatment, patients are able to continue writing the stories of their lives.” said Joel Chong, Country President of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.

Cardiologists strongly recommend that people with a history of heart attack or stroke consult their doctor about the optimal LDL-C goal and ideal treatment option to optimize their health and achieve better cholesterol control.