The Methodist Hospital Research Institute researchers have revealed that a new drug developed, called eprotirome can significantly reduce bad cholesterol, triglycerides and Lp(A), without posing side effects that statins cause in many people.

High cholesterol levels in the blood are treated using a group of drugs called statins, however, their efficacy is not always sufficient and higher doses commonly result in adverse reactions.

"Our study has shown a dramatic reduction in the dangerous fats that cause heart disease, the number one killer of Americans," said Dr. John Baxter, Director of the Genomic Medicine Program at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute and co-author for the study.

The study is based on a clinical trial, which depicted that eprotirome can decrease blood cholesterol effectively in patients who have already received statins.

Patients who received supplementary medication with eprotirome were reported to possess levels of harmful blood fats that were up to 30 per cent lower compared to those who received a placebo supplementary treatment.

Pharmaceutical company KaroBio in Huddinge, which is financing and participating in the research, has developed eprotirome.