Polypharma marks World Cholesterol Day

Hamburg, Germany: Specialist pharmaceutical consultant and supplier Polypharma Technologies & Sciences GmbH (Polypharma) has been marking international Cholesterol Day.

The substance cholesterol is involved in metabolic processes in the body, primarily in the metabolization of fat. The body covers its need for cholesterol by producing it in the liver and taking it from food. If excessive cholesterol circulates in the body, it accumulates in the vascular walls and facilitates the occurrence of arteriosclerosis as a result.

Three forms of cholesterol

Cholesterol appears in the body in three forms:

• HDL cholesterol (high density lipoprotein):
  Lipoprotein collects excess cholesterol from the cells and transports it to the liver. The organ ensures that the body excretes the cholesterol. That is why HDL cholesterol or a high HDL value is considered “good”.
• LDL cholesterol (low density lipoprotein):
  Lipoprotein is always loaded with cholesterol and delivers it to the cells. If there is too much LDL cholesterol in the blood, it can build up on arterial walls. That is why LDL cholesterol is considered “bad” cholesterol.
• VLDL cholesterol (very low-density lipoprotein)
  VLDL is produced in the liver and released into the bloodstream to supply body tissues with a type of fat (triglycerides).

LDL cholesterol and VLDL cholesterol have a higher percentage of fat and facilitate the build-up of cholesterol in the vascular walls. On the other hand, HDL cholesterol has a lower percentage of fat and even protects the body from arteriosclerosis. Symptoms only appear through the consequences of the arteriosclerosis. They include general circulatory disorders angina pectoris, heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol lowering medications

Treatment focuses on preventing the consequential damage of LDL or VLDL. Besides adjusting one’s lifestyle and eating habits, cholesterol-lowering medication is an important treatment option. Statins and fibrates are known representative cholesterol-lowering agents.

Experts recommend regular preventive measurements from the age of 35.

Cholesterol awareness

Many international professional organizations recommend people who are healthy and have no other risk factors to aim for the following values in any case:

• Total cholesterol: ≤ 200 mg / dl (5.2 mmol / l)
• LDL: ≤ 130 mg/ml (3,4 mmol / l)
• HDL: ≥ 50 mg / ml in women (1.0 mmol / l), ≥ 40 mg / ml in men (1.3 mmol / l)

These values alone are almost never decisive. Several people with the same cholesterol level can have very different cardiovascular risks. Cholesterol levels in the majority of those affected only allow a sound statement to be made about this if they are assessed in conjunction with other risk factors.

Risk factors

The risk assessment follows standardized guidelines and usually takes into account factors such as:

• Age: The higher the age, the greater the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
• Gender: Men are at higher risk than women.
• Predisposition: If male relatives younger than 55 or female relatives younger than 65 suffered heart attack or stroke, it is presumed family predisposition increase risk.
• Smoking: This is one of the greatest risk factors.
• High blood pressure: increases risk because it strains the heart and blood vessels.
• Diabetes mellitus type 2: Excess sugars in blood increases the risk in several ways.
• Coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, previous heart attacks or strokes: These diseases already mean a high risk for the heart and circulation, which increases due to high cholesterol levels.

Treatment options

The higher these risk factors, the lower the cholesterol levels that should be tolerated as safe. Before treatment, doctors identify all possible sources of danger, then identify individual target values for each patient.

Polypharma has developed a very wide range of drug dossiers in the areas of cardiology and angiology (see Resources) and is ready to support any partners wishing to develop new cholesterol lowering medications or drugs for treatment of heart disease and stroke.

About Polypharma

Polypharma’s vision is to assist regional producers in the Middle East and North Africa region develop ethical products to combat counterfeit and sub-standard medicines, acting as an expert partner in formulation and registration of products ready for market.

For the MENA countries where Polypharma works, it specializes in advising companies set up their own pharmaceutical production, including generic drugs, food supplements and biosimilars.

Polypharma’s end-to-end services include advice on construction and production, compiling drug technical dossiers, and sourcing of raw materials and ingredients.

The company is experts in specialized fields that include project planning, pharmaceutical R&D, dossier development, feasibility studies, plant construction, identification of new molecules, technology transfer, raw material sourcing and supply.

Its full-service offerings can combine all these elements and more to provide a total solution for pharmaceutical developers and producers.

Since Polypharma was founded in April 1991, it has successfully developed more than 200 drug dossiers in-house and registered them for partners.

Learn more at: www.polypharma.de

Resources

Click on Polypharma Generic Drugs Portfolio for the complete list of dossiers developed on Cardiology and Angiology.