Results of a recent clinical trial indicate that a thyroid-hormone-like substance that works specifically on the liver reduces blood cholesterol with no serious side effects. The trial was conducted by researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and collaborating institutions. Presently, high cholesterol levels in the blood are primarily treated with a group of drugs called statins, but these drugs are not always sufficiently effective and higher doses commonly cause adverse reactions. In this new clinical trial, researchers showed that a new thyroid hormone analogue called eprotirome can reduce blood cholesterol effectively in patients who have already received statins. Patients who were given supplementary medication with eprotirome demonstrated levels of harmful blood fats that were as much as 30 percent lower than those of patients who received a placebo supplementary treatment. "This drug could help patients who react adversely to statins or be used as a supplementary treatment for those who don't respond well to them," said Dr. Bo Angelin, who led the study. Eprotirome mimics the natural ability of thyroid hormone to stimulate the metabolism of cholesterol, and exerts its effects exclusively on the liver. The development of similar, non-selective drugs has previously been stopped on account of the serious adverse effects they have had on other organ systems (e.g., cardiac dilatation and osteoporosis) or on the physiological regulation of thyroid hormones. The new clinical trial results were published in the March 11, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. [Press release] [NEJM abstract]Login Or Register To Read Full Story