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Can Leqvio be taken without a statin?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Dec 11, 2022.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Leqvio may be used alone or with other medications, such as statins, to treat high cholesterol, in addition to a heart-healthy diet. It is usually prescribed for adults with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) or heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (a genetic condition that causes high levels of LDL cholesterol) when maximally tolerated doses of statin fail to lower LDL levels enough. But it can be prescribed without a statin if statins are not tolerated or contraindicated.

References
  • Leqvio FDA Approval History. Updated Dec 27, 2021.  https://www.drugs.com/history/leqvio.html
  • Lamb Y. N. (2021). Inclisiran: First Approval. Drugs, 81(3), 389–395. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-021-01473-6

Read next

Leqvio and Repatha are both injectable medicines that are used for the treatment of high cholesterol, by specifically lowering low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels. Although they both inhibit PCSK9 they work by different mechanisms. Repatha is a monoclonal antibody that binds directly to PCSK9 in the liver preventing it from binding to LDL receptors. Leqvio blocks the PCSK9 protein by interfering with the translation of PCSK9 messenger RNA. Both have the same result – and that is freeing up LDL receptors on the surface of liver cells which allows LDL cholesterol to be removed from the blood. Continue reading

The PCSK9 inhibitors are used for the treatment of high-risk patients with elevated cholesterol, especially when statins aren't adequate. They work by blocking PCSK9, leaving more receptors available to capture your "bad" cholesterol (LDL) for break down and removal from the blood. Continue reading

Weight gain is not reported as a side effect of Leqvio in the product information and neither does it seem to be a topic of discussion on blog sites. Weight gain has also not been reported with other PCSK9 inhibitors, such as Repatha. Continue reading

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