Date of Award
Spring 5-2025
Document Type
Scholarly Project
Degree Name
Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS)
Department
Physician Assistant Studies
First Advisor
Metzger, Jay
Keywords
ANGPTL3, statin, familial hypercholesterolemia
Abstract
Hypercholesterolemia is estimated to effect 31.7% of the United States population according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The mainstay of treatment for this condition is currently statin therapy. While these medications are often effective in decreasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to patient’s goal range, there are populations in which they are not sufficient. These populations include those who have genetic predispositions, such as familial hypercholesterolemia, or those who experience refractory hypercholesterolemia to statin medications. To combat this issue, a class of medications named Angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) inhibitors have been created to use as an adjunct to statin therapy for hypercholesterolemia treatment. The purpose of this literature review is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ANGPTL3 inhibitors as an adjunct to statin therapy in lowering LDL-C levels in those with severe hypercholesterolemia. A literature review was performed using electronic databases including PubMed, ClinicalKey, and Embase. Keywords were ANGPTL3, statin, and familial hypercholesterolemia were used, which yielded 1,935 results. These were then filtered further by clinical trials within the last 10 years, which yielded 116 results. Exclusion criteria included those that included vupanorsen (discontinued), bempedoic acid, Inclisiran, and PCSK9 inhibitor adjuncts. Eight articles were included in this literature review as well as one case study. Current literature suggests that ANGPTL3 inhibitors are effective and well tolerated in reducing LDL-C levels as an adjunct to statin therapy. This is applicable to clinical practice in treating patients with severe hypercholesterolemia in which statin therapy is not effective alone in lowering LDL-C levels to the patient’s desired goal range.
Recommended Citation
Fritz, Paige, "Efficacy and Safety of Angiopoietin-like 3 Inhibitors in Decreasing Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol" (2025). Physician Assistant Scholarly Project Papers. 224.
https://commons.und.edu/pas-grad-papers/224