{"id":"doi:10.1093/ckj/sfag240","kind":"review","title":"Lipoprotein apheresis: still needed in many patients, or soon a historical practice?","authors":["Schettler VJJ","Akgun Y","Floege J","Zoccali C"],"author_count":4,"year":2026,"published":"2026-08-04","venue":"Clinical kidney journal","cited_by":1,"doi":"10.1093/ckj/sfag240","arxiv_id":null,"nct_id":null,"source_url":"https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfag240","archive_url":"https://space-kitty.com/papers/doi:10.1093/ckj/sfag240","updated":null,"pmid":"42626375","pmcid":"PMC13492341","openalex_id":null,"pdf_url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13492341/pdf","abstract":"Lipoprotein apheresis (LA) has long been used as an ultima ratio therapy for patients with extreme lipid-driven cardiovascular risk. One perspective maintains that, despite major advances in lipid-lowering pharmacology and the emergence of gene-silencing therapies, LA remains indispensable for selected patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia, severe hypercholesterolaemia refractory to maximal therapy, and isolated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]-mediated progressive cardiovascular disease. An opposing view argues that modern and emerging pharmacological agents-PCSK9 inhibitors, inclisiran, bempedoic acid, evinacumab, and targeted Lp(a)-lowering antisense and small interfering RNA agents-have already rendered LA obsolete in almost all patients, with its remaining niche closing rapidly as outcome data accumulate. This combined manuscript juxtaposes the two positions in a streamlined form and concludes with a balanced conclusion of the future role of LA.","abstract_license":"CC-BY (article license as recorded by Europe PMC; abstract reproduced unmodified apart from markup removal)","license":"CC-BY","is_open_access":true,"retracted":false,"peer_reviewed":null,"categories":[],"details":null,"provenance":"europepmc","attribution":"Abstract of \"Lipoprotein apheresis: still needed in many patients, or soon a historical practice?\" by Schettler VJJ, Akgun Y, Floege J et al., https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfag240, used under its Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY); markup removed, otherwise unmodified.","topics":[{"slug":"cardiovascular-innovation","name":"Cardiovascular Therapeutics","domain_slug":"medicine"}],"cited_in_dossiers":[]}