A new drug lowers levels of a protein related to ‘bad’ cholesterol

The next clinical trial will test if the treatment reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke

doctor talking to a patient

Testing for a person’s level of lipoprotein(a), which carries fat and cholesterol, could become widespread if a new drug that can drastically reduce the protein is found to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.

FatCamera/getty images plus

Routine blood tests in the not-too-distant future may feature a new line item: lipoprotein(a).