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Hundreds of thousands of people will soon have access to a cholesterol-lowering drug that could save 30,000 lives over the next decade, it has been announced.
The NHS will make the treatment available to 300,000 patients with high cholesterol and a history of cardiovascular disease over the next three years.
The number of people benefiting from the new drug, inclisiran, could reach nearly half a million beyond this initial period, according to the bosses.
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The drug, which could prevent about 55,000 heart attacks and strokes, is given as an injection twice a year and can be used in addition to existing treatments such as statins.
Heart disease is the biggest killer in the world and accounts for a quarter of all deaths in England each year, killing around 140,000.
More than 40% of the country’s people have high cholesterol, which puts them at significant risk of developing heart disease.
About 6.5 million adults in England are currently taking medication for the disease.
Inclisiran will be given as an injection in general practitioners’ offices rather than hospitals to make it more convenient for patients.
After the first dose, treatment will be resumed after three months and then twice a year.
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Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS, said the deployment is part of the NHS ‘commitment to “use cutting-edge treatments to save and improve the lives of patients”.
“Heart disease is still one of the leading killer diseases, so it’s fantastic that we now have such an effective and convenient treatment for those living with dangerously high cholesterol,” she said.
“This landmark agreement for the deployment of inclisiran will save lives and allow hundreds of thousands of people to benefit from this revolutionary treatment, while being fair to taxpayers.”
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The treatment rollout follows clinical trials that have shown that the drug lowers the level of a type of fatty substance called LDL-C in the blood by increasing the liver’s ability to eliminate it.
High levels of LDL-C make people more likely to have a heart attack or stroke.
Large “unprecedented” amounts of the drug have been obtained in order to keep its cost “affordable”, the NHS said.
Jules Payne, Managing Director of HEART UK, welcomed the deployment, calling the drug “an additional tool in the armor against cardiovascular disease”.
“High cholesterol is very common and a major cause of cardiovascular disease, but the absence of symptoms means that the first sign of the problem is often a heart attack,” he added.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said “the new life-saving treatment will make a difference for hundreds of thousands of people across England”, and added: “This is a huge step forward in the fighting the scourge of heart disease, which tragically kills thousands of people every year. “
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