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CLINIC RESEARCH PROJECT

HELPS PUT
LOCAL PHYSICIAN IN NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
 

December 29, 2004  --

A national clinical trial involving an experimental drug has propelled a local physician into the national media spotlight. The clinical trial was recently featured on ABC’s Nightline and on several other national and international news programs.

Christopher Cooper, M.D. an internal medicine and cardiovascular disease specialist with The Bellevue Hospital’s Specialty Care Clinic, 185 Aigler Blvd., joined up with the Esperion Company and 13 other physicians across the United States in a clinical trial involving the drug ETC-216, a bio-engineered compound. Dr. Cooper and his colleagues hope this drug will reduce high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels or hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)

According to Dr. Cooper, atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, can lead to heart attacks, chest pain, loss of memory, and strokes, among other things. “If we can find a way to reverse the process of atherosclerosis – getting that cholesterol out of the arteries and into the liver to be cleared – think of the benefits for patients the world over.”

 “Doctors are presented with many opportunities to participate in clinical trials. The main challenge is deciding which ones are worth the time and effort. This one focused solely on atherosclerosis reduction and The Bellevue Hospital patients supported us all the way. You can’t do these trials without the willingness of the patients and the doctors involved.”

            The trial was financed through grant money and by the Esperion Company. Patients had to meet medical criteria in order to participate in the study.           

            “Through these types of clinical trials, I feel that I am doing my job as a doctor on a mission to improve care,” continued Dr. Cooper. “As a physician and scientist I have an ethical obligation to take these topics seriously,” added Dr. Cooper, who hopes to participate in a new trial involving a pill that may raise the good cholesterol level.

The idea for the ETC-216 drug actually began in a small village in Northern Italy, called Limone sul Garda, where several residents of the area are carriers of a naturally occurring variant of apolipoprotein, known as ApoA-Imilano. Because of this variant, these individuals are characterized by very low levels of HDL cholesterol. “These people simply do not get heart disease because of this genetic mutation,” added Dr. Cooper.

            “What we are attempting to do is bio-engineer a compound to mimic that genetic mutation in order to raise the good cholesterol (HDL) level. Most over-the-counter drugs such as Lipitor work to slow the progression of heart disease, whereas none try to raise the HDL solely.”

Using an intravascular ultrasound, pictures were taken of the coronary arteries of those who volunteered to participate in the study. Patients then received either the experimental drug, or a placebo, once a week over a five-week period. Coronary arteries were then photographed using the ultrasound catheter, “and those ‘after’ pictures showed us a significant reduction in hardening of the arteries of patients receiving ETC-216,” stated Dr. Cooper.

            This Phase 2 clinical trial was recently completed. Dr. Cooper is hoping that the experiment will now move to a Phase 3 trial, which would be more intensive and comprehensive in its research.

            Dr. Cooper is also Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Cardiovascular Division of the Medical College of Ohio, Toledo.

            Dr. Cooper has been affiliated with The Bellevue Hospital’s Specialty Care Clinic for the past six years, and has been on the staff at MCO for over nine years.

            He can be reached at his Bellevue office location at (419) 484-1022.

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Last modified: 11/11/04