Evolocumab in paediatric heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: cognitive function during 80 weeks of open-label extension treatment.

AIMS: PCSK9 inhibition intensively lowers low density lipoprotein cholesterol and is well tolerated in adults and paediatric patients with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH). HAUSER-RCT showed that 24 weeks of treatment with evolocumab in paediatric patients did not affect cognitive function. This study determined the effects of 80 additional weeks of evolocumab treatment on cognitive function in paediatric patients with heterozygous FH. METHODS AND RESULTS: HAUSER-OLE was an 80-week open-label extension of HAUSER-RCT, a randomized, double-blind, 24-week trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of evolocumab in paediatric patients (ages 10-17 years) with FH. During the OLE, all patients received monthly 420 mg subcutaneous evolocumab injections. Tests of psychomotor function, attention, visual learning, and executive function were administered at baseline and Weeks 24 and 80 of the OLE. Changes over time were analysed descriptively and using analysis of covariance. Cohen's d statistic was used to evaluate the magnitude of treatment effects. Analysis of covariance results indicated no decrease in performance across visits during 80 weeks of evolocumab treatment for Groton Maze Learning, One Card Learning accuracy, Identification speed, or Detection speed (all P > 0.05). Performance on all tasks was similar for those who received placebo or evolocumab in the RCT (all P > 0.05). For all tests, the least square mean differences between patients who received placebo vs. evolocumab in the parent study were trivial (all Cohen's d magnitude < 0.2). CONCLUSION: In paediatric patients with FH, 80 weeks of open-label evolocumab treatment had no negative impact on cognitive function. REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02624869.

Some children are born with a genetic disorder that causes high cholesterol, which leads to heart disease. Children with high cholesterol can be treated with evolocumab, a medication that lowers blood cholesterol. Because cholesterol is important for development and adequate function of the brain, there is a concern that lowering cholesterol in children may affect mental ability. In this study, we tested whether treating children with evolocumab for 80 weeks affected mental ability in performing several tasks. A battery of tests that measure executive function (Groton Maze Learning Test), visual learning (One Card Learning Test), visual attention (Identification Test), and psychomotor function (Detection Test) showed no decrease in performance across visits during 80 weeks of evolocumab treatment. Performance on all tasks was similar for the children who received placebo for the first 24 weeks then received evolocumab for an additional 80 weeks (placebo/evolocumab) and those who received evolocumab for 24 weeks then received evolocumab for an additional 80 weeks (evolocumab/evolocumab).

Inclisiran, ARN interferente pequeño: un nuevo enfoque para el tratamiento del colesterol / Inclisiran, small interfering RNA: a new approach to cholesterol treatment

Resumen: La hiperlipidemia es altamente prevalente y contribuye de forma sustancial a la enfermedad cardiovascular aterosclerótica, que es una de las principales causas de morbilidad y mortalidad en Colombia. La reducción del colesterol LDL (c-LDL) produce una disminución del riesgo de enfermedad cardiovascular aterosclerótica y de eventos cardiovasculares adversos. La terapia dirigida a la proproteína convertasa subtilisina/kexina tipo 9 (PCSK9; su sigla en inglés) ha surgido como una herramienta novedosa para el tratamiento de la hiperlipidemia. Inclisiran es un ARN pequeño de doble hebra, que actúa inhibiendo la transcripción de PCSK-9 en los hepatocitos, lo que conduce a una reducción marcada y sostenida del c-LDL. En contraste con otras terapias hipolipemiantes, como estatinas, ezetimibe y anticuerpos monoclonales (MAbs; su sigla en inglés) e inhibidores de PCSK9, inclisiran propone un régimen de dosificación infrecuente de dos o tres veces al año. Su efecto prolongado representa una ventaja frente al incumplimiento del tratamiento, que es una de las principales causas por las que no se alcanzan los objetivos de c-LDL con la terapia estándar. Esta revisión tiene como objetivo presentar y discutir los datos científicos actuales con relación a la eficacia, tolerabilidad y seguridad del inclisiran en el tratamiento de la hipercolesterolemia.

Abstract: Hyperlipidemia is a highly prevalent condition and contributes substantially to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in Colombia. The reduction of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) decreases the risk of ASCVD and adverse cardiovascular events. Targeted therapy for the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK-9) has emerged as a novel tool for the treatment of hyperlipidemia. Inclisiran is a small double-stranded small interfering RNA that acts by blocking PCSK-9 transcription in hepatocytes, leading to a marked and sustained reduction in circulating LDL-C levels. In contrast to other lipid-lowering therapies such as statins, ezetimibe and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) PCSK-9 inhibitors, Inclisiran proposes an infrequent dosing regimen of twice or three times a year. Its prolonged effect represents an advantage over non-compliance of the treatment, which is one of the main reasons why LDL-C goals are not achieved with standard therapy. This review aims to present and discuss current scientific data regarding the efficacy, tolerability and safety of Inclisiran in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.