Inflammation
Blocking IL-6 with tocilizumab does not lower Lp(a) in heart attack patients, a randomised trial of 117 NSTEMI patients (Int J Cardiol 2019)
Original title: Serum lipoprotein(a) is not modified by interleukin-6 receptor antagonism or associated with inflammation in non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction
This randomised controlled trial tested whether a single dose of the IL-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab, previously shown to lower Lp(a) in rheumatoid arthritis, reduces Lp(a) in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Lp(a) was assessed by immunoassay in 117 patients at 7 time-points between day 1 and 3, and at 3 and 6 months follow-up. Tocilizumab did not affect Lp(a) at any time-point and was not associated with cardiovascular risk factors. The findings show short-term IL-6 inhibition with tocilizumab does not influence Lp(a) levels in NSTEMI patients, unlike in rheumatoid arthritis.
Original abstract
Background: The IL-6 receptor antagonist tocilizumab has been shown to attenuate the proatherogenic lipoprotein a [Lp(a)] in rheumatoid arthritis. We evaluated if a single dose of tocilizumab reduced Lp(a) in patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).
Methods: Lp(a) was assessed by immunoassay (n = 117 patients) at 7 consecutive time-points between day 1 and 3 and at 3 and 6 months follow-up.
Results: Tocilizumab did not affect Lp(a) at any time-point during the study and was not associated with cardiovascular risk factors.
Conclusions: Short-time inhibition of IL-6 with tocilizumab in patients with NSTEMI did not influence Lp(a) levels.
Summary written by lp-a.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.