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An innitiative to reduce the risk of Heart diseases
Hyderabad based Aster Prime Hospital has enrolled patients for a multi-center global study involving nearly 50 countries under the project called CANTOS trial. This project is being conducted to study the role of anti–inflammatory agents that can counter fatal heart conditions like stroke and heart attacks. These fatal conditions are created by blocked arteries and this is termed as atherosclerosi
Makes India, one of 50 countries participating in Global study
Hyderabad based Aster Prime Hospital has enrolled patients for a multi-center global study involving nearly 50 countries under the project called CANTOS trial. This project is being conducted to study the role of anti–inflammatory agents that can counter fatal heart conditions like stroke and heart attacks. These fatal conditions are created by blocked arteries and this is termed as atherosclerosis. This study was published in August 27 issue of New England Journal of Medicine and simultaneously presented at the European Society of Cardiology, Barcelona.
What is revolutionary in CANTOS?
It has been common knowledge for decades that one way to reduce heart attack is to keep his cholesterol levels low. But that is only part of the story. About half of the heart attacks happen to those who have considered normal levels of cholesterol. Trials showed that even people who do not have high cholesterol levels benefit from cholesterol lowering statin drugs. Another effect of statins is to reduce inflammation, the suspicion has been that this is the protection is coming from. But the cholesterol lowering properties of statins have made it impossible to isolate this effect.
Cantos looked at inflammation alone as a cause for heart attacks because Canakinumab reduces only inflammation and not cholesterol levels. Dr Paul Ridker of Massachusetts General Hospital Boston was the principal investigator for this study. Patients who received 150mg dose of this medicine had a15 per cent lesser chance of developing heart attack/ stroke. In addition there was a reduction of death from various cancers.
Why CANTOS is important?
This is a new way of treating coronary artery disease inhibiting inflammation. The medication Canakinumab is a new type of medicine called monoclonal antibody. The only down side of this study was there were significantly more deaths from infection among those who received Canakinumab.
With this study, doctors at Aster Prime Hospital are now well versed in administering new anti-inflammatory therapies to patients. As per Dr. C. Raghu, Director and Senior Interventional Cardiologist, Aster Prime Hospital Hyderabad, “Current pharmaceutical interventions are designed to slow the progression of atherosclerosis and focus only on reducing cholesterol. However, studies have reveled additional role of inflammation in atherosclerosis.
Therefore, it becomes imperative for medical researchers to explore relevant and critical anti – inflammatory agents that can reduce and counter atherosclerosis. Aster Prime is proud to participate in this international study and we look forward to achieving some path breaking results that can change the landscape of atherosclerosis therapies.”
