Wendy Radford didn’t know she had high cholesterol when she had a stroke leaving her severely ill ten years ago.
Although the 62-year-old can now walk again, the risk of another stroke meant Wendy was happy to sign up to a research study at Colchester Hospital looking into new treatment options to lower her cholesterol level.
ORION-4 is a five-year research study which aims to test if a new “bad” cholesterol lowering medication called Inclisiran safely reduces the risk of heart attacks or strokes in people who have had one of these conditions. Wendy, who married husband Dodgy last year, said her stroke was caused by two blood clots in her brain stem and another clot in her brain probably as a result of having high cholesterol.
Wendy following her stroke aged 52
She added: “Having a stroke was a complete surprise – I didn’t know I had high cholesterol. I was very poorly and had to stay in Colchester Hospital for ten days. I then had daily physio for months. Ten years on, my vision is still affected, I get very tired and I am walking again but not very far.
“I was more than happy to take part in the study. I had to commit to five years and have regular injections in my stomach and blood tests taken.”
Wendy, who now volunteers for the Salvation Army where she met Dodge, doesn’t know whether she’s getting the Inclisiran medication as the study is ‘double blind’ meaning neither the participants, nor the study staff will know whether participants are receiving the drug or a dummy (placebo).
Wendy and Dodge with Wendy’s Dad on their wedding day in 2022
She added: “I don’t mind that I don’t know if I’m getting the drug or not – I’m very grateful for all the care I’ve received since I had my stroke and I just hope the study can find out whether the treatment is effective.”
About 15,000 people are taking part in the study and ESNEFT is one of the trusts in the trial. Initially Wendy had three visits to Colchester Hospital and now goes every six months for a stomach injection and for a blood sample to be taken.
Dr Ramachandran Sivakumar
Consultant physician at ESNEFT Dr Ramachandran Sivakumar is the principal investigator of the study at Colchester Hospital, alongside research nurses Alison O’Kelly and Tracey Abery who run the clinics.
Dr Sivakumar said: “We hope the study results will show whether adding this novel drug to our standard cholesterol-lowering medication such as statins will give patients added protection and this is effective in patients who cannot tolerate statins.
“This drug works in a clever way by blocking production of a key protein which plays an important role in cholesterol levels. Though this drug is currently approved for use and we know this drug reduces cholesterol, we don’t yet know whether it reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.”
ORION-4 is an international study involving many hospitals including Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals and is coordinated by the University of Oxford and co-sponsored by the University of Oxford and Novartis.
Professor Louise Bowman, the trial’s chief investigator based in Oxford, said: “The success of the ORION-4 trial is built on collaboration with ESNEFT and other healthcare bodies across England, Scotland and Wales, and on the very generous contributions from the thousands of participants who have joined the trial.”
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