PCSK9 Inhibitors Show Promise for Elderly Patients, New โResearch Indicates
Rotterdam, Netherlands – November โ21, 2025 – Groundbreaking research from Erasmusโ MC suggests that PCSK9 inhibitors, a โฃclass of injectable medicationsโ used to lower cholesterol, are a viable and safe treatment option for elderly individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Theโ findings, part of a PhD programme led by ruben Mijnster, challenge previous assumptions about the useโ of these powerful drugsโข in โฃolder populations and could significantly expand access to life-saving therapies.
For years, PCSK9 inhibitors – evolocumab, alirocumab, โฃand inclisiranโข – have been primarily reserved for patients intolerant to โขstatins or those whose cholesterol โlevels โremain dangerously high despite conventional treatment.This new โresearch indicates thatโข the benefits of these โขmedications extend to the elderly, a demographicโค often underrepresented in โclinical trials and facing a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke.โ “Our research โคshows that PCSK9 inhibitors are also a realistic treatment โoption for the elderly,” โexplains Mijnster. โ
PCSK9 inhibitors work by targeting theโฃ PCSK9 protein, which regulates the number ofโ LDL receptors in the liver.Byโฃ inhibiting PCSK9,more LDL – oftenโข referred to as “bad” โคcholesterol – is removed from the bloodstream,reducing the risk of cardiovascular events. “It isโ crucial โto lower cholesterol – โand especially LDL – because of the risk of cardiovascular disease,” Mijnster stated.
Currently, theseโ medications areโ prescribed to individuals with a history โof cardiovascular disease, โsuchโ as myocardial infarction or stroke, and those with familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition causing dangerously high cholesterolโข levels. “If statins do not lead to โan insufficient reduction in cholesterol,โข a PCSK9 inhibitor can be added,” Mijnster clarifies. the research offers a potential pathway to broaden the โคuse ofโ these therapies, offering aโ crucial intervention for โคa growing segment of the โขpopulation.