FDA Approves Two Drugs That Can Dramatically Lower Cholesterol

Two new drugs aiming to lower cholesterol levels dramatically on Wednesday got endorsement from Food and Drug Administration advisers (FDA).

Experts said the drugs, Sanofi and Regeneron's alirocumab, fall in the class of biotech drugs called monoclonal antibodies, therefore there are higher chances that they are likely to be very pricey, perhaps $10,000 or even more a year.

The FDA's advisory panel recommended that only certain people will be prescribed the drugs, so they are not for everybody.

They said the drugs will be used for only those with an inherited form of high cholesterol called familial hypercholesterolemia, or those who cannot tolerate stains and those who can't lower their cholesterol with other drugs.

Studies conducted on the drugs showed that they can effectively lower the bad cholesterol to extremely low levels, without even causing any side-effects to people who take statins.

Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic, told NBC News that these drugs lower bad cholesterol more than any drugs they have so far had in history.

Although the drugs helped in lowering cholesterol, experts had a question in mind whether the drugs reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke the way statins do.

Statins, sold with brand names such as Lipitor, Mevacor, Crestor and Zocor, are quite popular. They are usually prescribed to about a 15 % of U.S. adults and cost from about $11 a month for the cheapest generic version to $200 for a pricey name-brand.

But statins have side-effects, including a rare type of muscle breakdown and weakness that affects somewhere between 5 and 15% of patients who take them.