Guest Editor(s)

• Prof. Ping-Yen Liu, MD, PhD, FESC, FACC

  Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
  Division of Cardiology, Internal Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Tainan, Taiwan.

  Website | E-mail

Special Issue Introduction

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are a novel treatment option for patients with hypercholesterolemia who do not achieve LDL cholesterol goals on maximally tolerated statin therapy with clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or familiar dyslipidemia. Studies on early cardiovascular outcomes are promising. Our current special issue wishes to discuss the mechanism dependent or independent of cholesterol lowering pleiotropic effect from PCSK9 inhibitors. We will also analyze clinical impacts and carry out data analysis regarding the reduction in mortality and cardiovascular deaths from PCSK9 inhibitors. Will these landmark outcome trials change the clinical practice? What do we expect from other RNAi therapies on PCSK9 inhibition? How low cholesterol level should we reach? All information is on the cutting edge and is expected to provide clinicians with updated knowledge.

Keywords

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular outcome, RNAi, pleiotropic effect, atherosclerosis

Submission Deadline

30 Jun 2021

Submission Information

Articles of special issue are free of charge for article processing.
For Author Instructions, please refer to http://vpjournal.net/pages/view/author_instructions
For Online Submission, please login at https://oaemesas.com/VP/?IssueId=452
Submission Deadline: 30 Jun 2021
Contacts: Grace Zheng, Assistant Editor, grace@vpjournal.net

Planned Papers

Type: Review

Title: PCSK9 inhibitors in advanced heart failure and heart transplant recipients

Authors: Arianne C. Agdamag¹, Valmiki R. Maharaj¹, Megan Fraser¹, Jonathan B. Edmiston², Victoria Charpentier², Garry S. Francis¹, Tamas Alexy¹

Affiliations: ¹Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
²Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.

Abstract: The use of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors has garnered widespread attention in the research community over the past ten years. A number of landmark trials have demonstrated the efficacy of PCSK9 inhibitors in dramatically lowering low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels when they are added to statin therapy. Importantly, their use has led to a significant reduction in adverse events in patients at risk and with established cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Published evidence is sparse, however, in the heart failure (HF) population, especially in the group with Stage D disease. While the use of PCSK9 inhibitors has not been reported in patients with durable mechanical circulatory support devices, limited data do exist in heart transplant recipients. Management of dyslipidemia is critically important in this population as it contributes to the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). However, most HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) interfere with the metabolism of commonly used immunosuppressant agents, such as tacrolimus. Case studies in post-heart transplant patients have demonstrated significant LDL reduction with PCSK9 inhibitor use but without significant drug-drug interactions or adverse events. Two trials are currently underway with the goal to examine their efficacy in reducing CAV progression.

This paper aims to review the available clinical evidence for PCSK9 inhibitor use in HF patients, with specific focus on the population with advanced heart failure.

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