- The medication saracatinib has been researched in the past as a potential cancer treatment.
- Researchers say the drug is now showing promise as a treatment for atherosclerosis, an inflammation linked to heart disease.
- Experts say the findings are intriguing, but more research needs to be done.
An experimental drug,
The medication was initially tested for cancer treatment. However, researchers in a 2015 study determined the drug’s efficacy was not high enough.
Since then, saracatinib has been or is being tested for
The current study at NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York shows that the drug might slow the progression of atherosclerosis, an inflammation linked to heart disease.
The researchers analyzed blood samples from 34 men and women with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. All participants were taking statins at the time. There were 24 other participants without atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in the study for comparison.
The scientists determined that the plasma – the liquid part of the blood – from the people with atherosclerosis triggers an unusually high inflammatory signal in blood immune cells.
Rather than try to create a new drug, the researchers looked at a series of datasets with hundreds of thousands of test results and decided to work with saracatinib because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
“While many people are aware of the risks of high cholesterol and heart disease, the role of inflammation in plaque progression and heart attacks and strokes is being increasingly appreciated,” Dr. Jeffrey Tyler, an interventional cardiologist with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in California who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today.
One expert noted that based on how saracatinib works, there is potential for studying its use against…
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