BELAGAVI
In what is being termed as the matter of pride for Belagaumkars, SIRNAs (small interfering RNAs) a new game changing class of drugs being developed to treat various diseases including elevated cholesterol, lipoprotein(a) and hypertension was used at the KLES Dr Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre here.
The first commercial injection in India was used here by Dr Prasad M R while treating a patient on Thursday.
DCGI, USFDA, CE and EMA approved Inclisiran (Brand name Sybrava), the first SIRNA, launched recently in India is considered the safest and longest acting lipid lowering therapy presently available. With one subcutaneous injection this drug can reduce the bad LDL cholesterol levels by 50%, lipoprotein (a) by 25% and triglycerides by 10% for 6 months.
“Dr Prasad has the experience and confidence of Inclisiran’s safety as he already used 100 plus such injections over last 1.5 years in the research settings. These drugs have the potential to give freedom in future to ‘popping the pill everyday’ treatment pattern presently is being adopted to treat various chronic diseases,” Medical Director of the hospital Col (Dr) Dayanand said.
A drug class called ‘Statins’ are the present ‘standard of care’ for treating high blood cholesterol levels. Statins are in use from last 25 years and have proof of more than 30 major research studies to reduce heart attack, stroke, need for angioplasty and cardiac bypass surgery by up to 50% when used in the right doses.
Statins are under-utilised and their benefits denied to many needy patients. Many Indian patients are unaware of the fact that cholesterol lowering drugs are prescribed with the primary intention to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Though Inclisiran is more safer than statins, is currently recommended as add on therapy to ‘statins’ or in ‘statin intolerant patients’, as it has only few studies to back up and with additional research in the coming years it is likely replace statins, said researcher and cardiologist Dr Prasad M R.
Presently, it’s cost is Rs 1,20,000 and will be cheaper by the year 2033 once the innovator loses its patent rights, he added.
