Kidney cancer drug could slash the risk of repeated heart attacks in a similar way to statins, study suggests

A common drug used to treat kidney cancer could slash the risk of heart attacks, a study suggests.

Cambridge University scientists found the anti-inflammatory medication, aldesleukin, reduced inflammation on a similar level to statins, cutting chances of a repeat attack.

The results were so ‘striking’ that experts say the drug could change clinical practice, becoming a routine part of care for heart attack patients within five to ten years.

Heart attack sufferers are particularly vulnerable to additional, deadly episodes as the body’s immune response can aggravate existing inflammation, causing more harm and further increasing the risk.

But researchers found that giving low doses of the drug, which is injected under the skin, reduced this in affected arteries.

The drug is usually used to treat kidney cancer (stock photo) 

Ziad Mallat, British Heart Foundation professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Cambridge, said the level of reduction found was equivalent to the impact of high-dose statins, on top of taking such drugs.

Presenting the findings at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in London, he said: ‘We associate inflammation with healing – an inbuilt response that protects us from infection and injury. 

‘But it’s now clear that inflammation is a culprit in many cardiovascular conditions. Early signs from our ongoing trial suggest that people treated with aldesleukin may have better long-term outcomes, including fewer heart attacks.

‘If these findings are repeated in a larger trial, we’re hopeful that aldesleukin could become part of routine care after a heart attack within five to ten years.’

Injections of aldesleukin saw inflammation levels drop 7.7 per cent more than those given a placebo, with a fall of 8.3 per cent in the most inflamed arteries, the study found.

Experts believe that it could be given to the 100,000 people a year admitted to hospital after suffering a heart attack alongside existing treatments, thus potentially boosting survival rates.

Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation and a consultant cardiologist, added: ‘A treatment to reduce inflammation after a heart attack could be a game-changer.’