MTP Gene Variants and Response to Lomitapide in Patients with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Beyond statins: New pharmacological targets to decrease LDL-cholesterol and cardiovascular events

The pharmacological treatment of dyslipidemia, a major modifiable risk factor for developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), remains a debated and controversial issue, not only in terms of the most appropriate therapeutic range for lipid levels, but also with regard to the optimal strategy and sequence approach (stepwise vs upstream therapy). Current treatment guidelines for the management of dyslipidemia focus on the intensity of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction, stratified according to risk for developing ASCVD. Beyond statins and ezetimibe, different medications targeting LDL-C have been recently approved by regulatory agencies with potential innovative mechanisms of action, including proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 modulators (monoclonal antibodies such as evolocumab and alirocumab; small interfering RNA molecules such as inclisiran), ATP-citrate lyase inhibitors (bempedoic acid), angiopoietin-like 3 inhibitors (evinacumab), and microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitors (lomitapide). An understanding of their pharmacological aspects, benefit-risk profile, including impact on hard cardiovascular endpoints beyond LDL-C reduction, and potential advantages from the patient perspective (e.g., adherence) - the focus of this evidence-based review - is crucial for practitioners across medical specialties to minimize therapeutic inertia and support clinical practice.

Efficacy and safety of lomitapide in familial chylomicronaemia syndrome

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Familial chylomicronaemia syndrome (FCS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, resulting in elevated triglycerides (TGs), abdominal pain and pancreatitis. Treatment options are limited. Lomitapide, a microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor, is approved for the treatment of homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia. Whether its therapeutic use may be extended to FCS remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of lomitapide in adult patients with FCS.

METHODS

The open-label, single-arm 'LOCHNES' study of lomitapide in FCS enrolled patients >18 years with genetically confirmed FCS, elevated fasting TG ≥ 750 mg/dL and history of pancreatitis. Patients were administered lomitapide to the maximum tolerated dose for 26 weeks. The primary endpoint was the percent change in TGs from baseline to Week 26.

RESULTS

Eighteen patients were enrolled with median baseline TG levels 1803.5 mg/dL (97.5% CI, 1452-2391 mg/dL). At Week 26, median fasting TGs were reduced to 305 mg/dL (97.5% CI 219-801 mg/dL; 70.5% reduction); median lomitapide dose was 35 mg/day; 13 patients achieved TGs ≤750 mg/dL. Adverse events were mild to moderate and mainly related to gastrointestinal tolerability. Liver imaging at baseline and Week 26 revealed hepatic fat increases from median 12.0%-32.5%, while median hepatic stiffness remained normal. No patient experienced acute pancreatitis or severe abdominal pain during lomitapide treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Lomitapide is effective and well tolerated in reducing TGs in FCS patients with a history of pancreatitis. Larger studies are warranted to determine lomitapide effectiveness in FCS.

The Role of Non-statin Lipid-Lowering Medications in Youth with Hypercholesterolemia

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Lifestyle modification is additive to lipid-lowering medications in the treatment of heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), which does not respond sufficiently to statin therapy. While both are also important in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), additional measures such as apheresis may be needed. The purpose of this review is to identify non-statin medications to lower cholesterol that are available for children and adolescents as adjunctive therapy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Ezetimibe is commonly used as second-line pharmacotherapy for treatment of HeFH and HoFH. Colesevelam, a bile acid sequestrant, may be considered for adjunct therapy. Since 2015, the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab has been available for adolescents, and its FDA approval has now expanded to age 10 years. The ANGPTL3 inhibitor evinacumab has been approved for children age 12 years and older. A clinical trial for lomitapide is in progress. Approvals for PCSK9 and ANGPTL3 inhibitors have expanded opportunities for children and adolescents with HeFH and HoFH to achieve lower LDL-C levels.

Umbrella Review on Non-Statin Lipid-Lowering Therapy

OBJECTIVES

The main aim of this review was to summarize current evidence on approved and emerging non-statin lipid-lowering therapies.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Recent literature on U.S. FDA approved non-statin lipid-lowering therapies and evolving lipid-lowering drugs currently under development was reviewed.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

In the past 20 years, the emergence of non-statin cholesterol-lowering drugs has changed the landscape of dyslipidemia management. Food and Drug Administration approval of non-statin lipid-lowering therapies such as ezetimibe, proprotein convertase subtilisin/Kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors (evolocumab, alirocumab), bempedoic acid and combination of bempedoic acid and ezetimibe, evinacumab and other triglyceride-lowering agents (eg, icosapent ethyl) has emerged. The European Commission has also recently approved inclisiran for treatment of hypercholesterolemia and mixed hypercholesterolemia even though FDA has put the approval of this drug on hold. Recent guidelines have incorporated PCSK9 inhibitors to treat patients with primary hyperlipidemia and patients with very high-risk ASCVD, who could not achieve adequate lipid-lowering with combination therapy of maximally tolerated statin and ezetimibe. Icosapent ethyl use as an adjunct therapy to statins is also recommended to reduce the risk of ASCVD in patients with hypertriglyceridemia.

CONCLUSION

Despite cost limitations, the uptake of PCSK9 inhibitors is increasing. Approval of bempedoic acid alone or in combination with ezetimibe has provided additional oral lipid-lowering drug alternatives to ezetimibe. Various lipid-lowering drug targets are under investigation.

Cardiovascular disease in women: Executive summary of the expert panel statement of women in cardiology of the hellenic cardiological society

The perception that women represent a low-risk population for cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) needs to be reconsidered. Starting from risk factors, women are more likely to be susceptible to unhealthy behaviors and risk factors that have different impact on CV morbidity and mortality as compared to men. Despite the large body of evidence as regards the effect of lifestyle factors on the CVD onset, the gender-specific effect of traditional and non-traditional risk factors on the prognosis of patients with already established CVD has not been well investigated and understood. Furthermore, CVD in women is often misdiagnosed, underestimated, and undertreated. Women also experience hormonal changes from adolescence till elder life that affect CV physiology. Unfortunately, in most of the clinical trials women are underrepresented, leading to the limited knowledge of CV and systemic impact effects of several treatment modalities on women's health. Thus, in this consensus, a group of female cardiologists from the Hellenic Society of Cardiology presents the special features of CVD in women: the different needs in primary and secondary prevention, as well as therapeutic strategies that may be implemented in daily clinical practice to eliminate underestimation and undertreatment of CVD in the female population.

Therapeutic Options for Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia: The Role of Lomitapide

Background:

Lomitapide (Juxtapid® in US and Lojuxta® in Europe) is the first developed inhibitor of the Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein (MTP) approved as a novel drug for the management of Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (HoFH). It acts by binding directly and selectively to MTP thus decreasing the assembly and secretion of the apo-B containing lipoproteins both in the liver and in the intestine.

Aims:

The present review aims at summarizing the recent knowledge on lomitapide in the management of HoFH.

Results:

The efficacy and safety of lomitapide have been evaluated in several trials and it has been shown a reduction of the plasma levels of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C) by an average of more than 50%. Although the most common side effects are gastrointestinal and liver events, lomitapide presents generally with a good tolerability and satisfactory patients compliance. Recently, in Europe, to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of lomitapide, the LOWER registry (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02135705) has been established in order to acquire informations on HoFH lomitapidetreated patients from “real life” clinical practice.

:

Furthermore, the observation that lomitapide decreases triglyceride levels may be considered for patients affected by severe forms of hypertriglyceridemia who undergo recurrent episodes of pancreatitis and are poor responders to conventional treatment.

Conclusion:

Lomitapide represents an innovative and efficacious drug for the treatment of HoFH. Longterm safety data, treatment of pediatric and pregnant HoFH patients and management of severe hypertriglyceridemia still require further investigations.

Lomitapide-a Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein Inhibitor for Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare, genetic condition characterized by high levels of Low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C); overt, early-onset atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD); and premature cardiovascular events and mortality. Lomitapide is a first-in-class microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor for the treatment of HoFH. This review provides an update on data emerging from real-world studies of lomitapide following on from its pivotal phase 3 clinical trial in HoFH.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent registry data have confirmed that HoFH is characterized by delayed diagnosis, with many patients not receiving effective therapy until they are approaching the age when major adverse cardiovascular events may occur. Data from case series of varying sizes, and from a 163-patient registry of HoFH patients receiving lomitapide, have demonstrated that lomitapide doses are lower and adverse events less severe than in the phase 3 study. Lomitapide enables many patients to reach European Atherosclerosis Society LDL-C targets. Some patients are able to reduce frequency of lipoprotein apheresis or, in some cases, stop the procedure altogether-unless there is significant elevation of lipoprotein (a). Modelling analyses based on historical and clinical trial data indicate that lomitapide has the potential to improve cardiovascular outcomes and survival in HoFH. Real-world clinical experience with lomitapide has shown the drug to be effective with manageable, less marked adverse events than in formal clinical studies. Event modelling data suggest a survival benefit with lomitapide in HoFH.

Lomitapide treatment in a female with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: a case report

Background

Homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an autosomal-dominant inherited disease presenting with highly elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. Untreated, the patient can develop atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease already in adolescence. Treatment with statins and ezetimibe is usually not sufficient and LDL apheresis is often required. Lomitapide, an inhibitor of the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein, reduces LDL-C and triglyceride levels and can be used alone or in combination with other therapies in homozygous FH. However, experience with this agent is still limited.

Case summary

We present a young female who was diagnosed with homozygous FH at 6 years of age. She shows a complete lack of normal LDL receptor activity and no cholesterol-lowering effect from statins. The patient was treated with LDL apheresis from 7 years of age. When LDL apheresis treatment extended to twice a week, she began to experience adverse effects, including catheter-related complications, infections, and hospital admissions. When lomitapide treatment was initiated, the frequency of apheresis reduced, the LDL-C levels improved and she has not had any further hospital admissions since. Initially, she suffered from gastrointestinal disturbances. However, after 3 years of treatment with lomitapide 20 mg/day, the patient has not experienced any adverse effects.

Discussion

In this female with homozygous FH adding lomitapide treatment to LDL apheresis has contributed to improved LDL-C levels, a reduction in LDL apheresis sessions and enhanced quality of life. No adverse effects have been reported. These findings suggest that lomitapide can be a drug of choice in patients with homozygous FH.

Lomitapide and Mipomersen-Inhibiting Microsomal Triglyceride Transfer Protein (MTP) and apoB100 Synthesis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The goal of this review is to evaluate the role of inhibiting the synthesis of lipoproteins when there is no or little residual LDL-receptor function as in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia. Lomitapide is administered orally once a day while mipomersen is given by subcutaneous injection once a week. Lomitapide inhibits microsomal triglyceride transfer protein while mipomersen is an antisense oligonucleotide directed against apoB100.

RECENT FINDINGS

The pivotal registration trials for lomitapide and mipomersen were published in 2013 and 2010, respectively. More recently published data from extension trials and cohort studies provides additional information on long-term safety and efficacy. The mean LDL cholesterol reduction was 50% with lomitapide in its single-arm open-label registration trial. Mipomersen reduced LDL cholesterol by approximately 25% in its double-blind, placebo-controlled registration study. Both lomitapide and mipomersen therapy are associated with variable increases in hepatic fat content. The long-term safety of increased hepatic fat content in patients receiving these therapies is uncertain and requires further study. Both drugs may cause elevated transaminase in some patients, but no cases of severe liver injury have been reported. Lomitapide may also cause gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhoea, especially if patients consume high-fat meals and patients are advised to follow a low-fat diet supplemented with essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins. Mipomersen may cause injection-site and influenza-like reactions. The effect of lomitapide and mipomersen on cardiovascular outcomes has not been studied, but circumstantial evidence suggests that the LDL cholesterol lowering achieved with these two agents may reduce cardiovascular event rates.

New Therapeutic Approaches for Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a common genetic condition characterized by elevated plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and considerable unmet medical need with conventional LDL-C-lowering therapies. Between 2012 and 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration approved four novel LDL-C-lowering agents for use in patients with FH based on the pronounced LDL-C-lowering efficacy of these medicines. We review the four novel approved agents, as well as promising LDL-C-lowering agents in clinical development, with a focus on their mechanism of action, efficacy in FH cohorts, and safety.

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor (lomitapide) efficacy in the treatment of patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia

Aims

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein inhibitor (lomitapide) in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia.

Methods and results

In 12 homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia patients treated with lipid-lowering drugs ± biweekly lipoprotein apheresis sessions (nine patients), daily lomitapide was added. The lipid profile (total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) before and after lomitapide treatment was evaluated. The follow-up period with lomitapide treatment was 3–24 months (13.8 ± 7.9). The median baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was 900 mg/dl (348–1070), after lipid-lowering drugs therapy was 383.5 mg/dl (214–866) and after lipid-lowering drugs + time-averaged level was 288 mg/dl (183.7–716.6). The addition of lomitapide lowered low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels further by 56.8% compared to lipid-lowering drugs alone (mean reduction 262, 95% confidence interval (105.5–418.7), p = 0.005) and by 54% (mean reduction 182.9, 95% confidence interval (−342 – −23), p = 0.031) comparing to lipid-lowering drugs + lipoprotein apheresis (time-averaged level). The time-averaged level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in lipid-lowering drugs + lipoprotein apheresis patients compared with lipid-lowering drugs + lomitapide was 54% in favour of lomitapide ( p = 0.031).

Conclusions

Treatment with lomitapide in homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia patients has a beneficial effect with a constant decrease of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by 57% compared with classical lipid-lowering therapy and by 54% compared with classical lipid-lowering therapy and time-averaged level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

Lomitapide: a review of its clinical use, efficacy, and tolerability

Lomitapide is an inhibitor of MTP, an enzyme located in the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes and enterocytes. This enzyme is responsible for the synthesis of very low-density lipoproteins in the liver and chylomicrons in the intestine. Lomitapide has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, European Medicines Agency, and other regulatory agencies for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia in adult patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. Clinical trials have shown that lomitapide reduces low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol levels by around 40% in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia patients on treatment with statins with or without low-density-lipoprotein apheresis, with an acceptable safety and tolerance profile. The most common adverse events are gastrointestinal symptoms that decrease in frequency with long-term treatment, and the increase in liver fat remains stable. This review analyzes the clinical use, efficacy, and tolerability of lomitapide.

Bariatric Surgery and Precision Nutrition

This review provides a literature overview of new findings relating nutritional genomics and bariatric surgery. It also describes the importance of nutritional genomics concepts in personalized bariatric management. It includes a discussion of the potential role bariatric surgery plays in altering the three pillars of nutritional genomics: nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics, and epigenetics. We present studies that show the effect of each patient's genetic and epigenetic variables on the response to surgical weight loss treatment. We include investigations that demonstrate the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms with obesity phenotypes and their influence on weight loss after bariatric surgery. We also present reports on how significant weight loss induced by bariatric surgery impacts telomere length, and we discuss studies on the existence of an epigenetic signature associated with surgery outcomes and specific gene methylation profile, which may help to predict weight loss after a surgical procedure. Finally, we show articles which evidence that bariatric surgery may affect expression of numerous genes involved in different metabolic pathways and consequently induce functional and taxonomic changes in gut microbial communities. The role nutritional genomics plays in responses to weight loss after bariatric surgery is evident. Better understanding of the molecular pathways involved in this process is necessary for successful weight management and maintenance.

The future of nutrition: Nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics in obesity and cardiovascular diseases

Over time, the relationship between diet and health has aroused great interest, since nutrition can prevent and treat several diseases. It has been demonstrated that general recommendations on macronutrients and micronutrients do not affect to every individual in the same way because diet is an important environmental factor that interacts with genes. Thus, there is a growing necessity of improving a personalized nutrition to treat obesity and associated medical conditions, taking into account the interactions between diet, genes and health. Therefore, the knowledge of the interactions between the genome and nutrients at the molecular level, has led to the advent of nutritional genomics, which involves the sciences of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics. In this review, we will comprehensively analyze the role of the most important genes associated with two interrelated chronic medical conditions, such as obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

Efficacy and Safety of Lomitapide in Hypercholesterolemia

BACKGROUND

Despite extensive use of statins, patients with hypercholesterolemia, especially homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH), do not achieve recommended targets of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). There is an urgent need for novel options that could reduce proatherogenic lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Lomitapide, a microsomal triglyceride transport protein (MTP) inhibitor, was approved three years ago as an orphan drug for the treatment of patients with HoFH.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of lomitapide and to provide guidance for clinicians.

METHODS

We searched the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane library databases and ClinicalTrials.gov to identify valid studies published before 31 October 2016 that included lomitapide-treated patients who did or did not undergo lipid-lowering therapy. We assessed the quality of different studies. Data were extracted and evaluated for quality by two reviewers.

RESULTS

Studies reporting lomitapide therapy included one randomized controlled trial, three single-arm studies, and five case reports. In patients with HoFH, lomitapide reduced levels of LDL-C, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and triglycerides with or without other lipid-lowering therapy, including apheresis. In non-HoFH patients with moderate hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, lomitapide also showed favorable effects on changes in LDL-C and triglycerides. However, both HoFH and non-HoFH patients experienced a reduction in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA-1). The most common adverse event was gastrointestinal disorder, and others included liver transaminase elevation and hepatic fat accumulation. Long-term use of lomitapide was associated with an increased risk of progressing to steatohepatitis and fibrosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Lomitapide improved most lipid parameters but not HDL-C or ApoA-1 in patients with HoFH and in non-HoFH patients, and gastrointestinal disorders were the most common adverse event. The possible benefits of lomitapide should be further evaluated and viewed against its possible long-term side effects.

Efficacy and Safety of Lomitapide in Japanese Patients with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Aim: There is an unmet need in Japan for more optimal lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) for patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) who respond inadequately to available drug therapies and/or apheresis, to achieve goals of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction by 50% or to < 100 mg/dL.

Methods: In this study, Japanese patients with HoFH on stable LLT and diet were treated with lomitapide, initiated at 5 mg/day and escalated to maximum tolerated dose (up to 60 mg/day) over 14 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was mean percentage change from baseline to Week 26 in LDL-C. Secondary endpoints included changes in other lipid parameters and safety throughout the 56-week study (including follow-up).

Results: Nine patients entered the efficacy phase of the study and, of these, eight completed 56 weeks. Mean LDL-C was reduced by 42% (p < 0.0001) at 26 weeks, from 199 mg/dL (95% CI: 149–250) at baseline to 118 mg/dL (95% CI: 70–166). A 50% reduction in LDL-C and LDL-C < 100 mg/dL was achieved by five and six of nine patients, respectively, at 26 weeks. After 56 weeks, LDL-C was reduced by 38% (p = 0.0032) from baseline. Significant reductions in non-HDL-C, VLDL-C, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B were also reported at Week 26. There were no new safety signals and, similar to previous studies, gastrointestinal adverse events were the most common adverse events.

Conclusion: Lomitapide, added to ongoing treatment with other LLTs, was effective in rapidly and significantly reducing the levels of LDL-C and other atherogenic apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins in adult Japanese patients with HoFH.