CaPre® Effective in Reducing Triglycerides

QUEBECAcasti Pharma, subsidiary of Neptune Technologies & Bioressources, released results from its unpublished research study on CaPre®, demonstrating the krill oil product's ability to lower triglycerides.

Research revealed the safety and efficacy of CaPre®, which is a purified concentrate of Neptune Krill Oil bioactive ingredients. The product reduced mean triglyceride levels by more than 20 percent after eight weeks of treatment with daily doses of 4 g and 2 g. Researchers also found statistically significant high-density lipoprotein (HDL) increases and reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels.

The primary objective of the study involved evaluating the safety and efficacy of CaPre® at different doses in patients with hypertriglyceridemia. Results were then compared to standard of care treatments, including lifestyle modifications and lipid modifying agents, such as statins, ezetimibe and fibrates.

More than 230 patients completed the eight weeks of treatment, and 88 percent had mild to moderate baseline triglycerides between 200 and 500 mg/dL (2.28 to 5.7 mmol/L).

Patients treated with 4 g/d of CaPre® during a four-week span reached a mean triglyceride decrease of 15.5 percent from baseline, and an absolute mean improvement of 18.1 percent compared to standard of care treatment.

Results also showed increased benefits after eight weeks of treatment. Patients took a dose of 4 g/d  of CaPre® and experienced a mean triglyceride decrease of 21.6 percent, while the absolute mean improvement reached 14.3 percent.

After eight weeks of treatment, patients taking 4 g/d of CaPre® had a mean LDL decrease of 8.3 percent and a non-HDL decrease of 14.3 percent. Lower doses did not show deleterious effect on LDL or non-HDL levels.

Our investigational new drug CaPre® is showing significant statistical and clinical benefits in treating mild to moderate hypertriglyceridemia patients," said Harlan Waksal, M.D., executive vice president of business and scientific affairs at Acasti. "This harder-to-treat population represents over 40 million people in the U.S, for which no omega-3 prescription drug has yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."

In 2011, Acasti presented efficacy and safety data on CaPre in a rodent model of the cardiometabolic syndrome at a meeting with the American Heart Association (AHA).