London, Nov 4 : A study led by an Indian-origin researcher has found that a drug that raises levels of 'good' cholesterol can also help clear clogged arteries in heart patients who are already on standard statin therapy, Oxford University announced Wednesday.

The findings of the study, led by Robin Choudhury of the department of cardiovascular medicine at Oxford University, are published in this week's issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

"This is an exciting find because it gives a new opportunity to treat cardiovascular patients," Choudhury told IANS.

"This is the first clear evidence that a therapy to raise levels of good cholesterol when taken alongside statins can have a beneficial effect."

The researchers used MRI scans to show a reduction in the clogging of artery walls in patients after a year of treatment with niacin, a B vitamin commonly used to raise levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or 'good' cholestrol.

Choudhury, whose father is a retired surgeon at Nilratan Sircar Hospital in Kolkata, said if the findings are borne out in ongoing larger studies, "this could benefit large numbers of people worldwide".

A third to a quarter of all heart patients have low levels of good cholestrol, but niacin fell out of favour after being shown to be useful in the early days of heart treatment, as statin became more common.

"This is the renaissance of an old friend," Choudhury said.

Heart disease is the biggest killer in the Western world, and atherosclerosis - the 'furring up' or hardening of arteries - is closely linked to later heart attacks and strokes.

The standard treatment for patients with atherosclerosis is to be prescribed statins, which lower the levels of 'bad' cholesterol, which might otherwise get deposited in the arteries.

'Good' cholesterol is thought to help remove bad cholesterol from the arteries.

The Oxford researchers, who worked with colleagues from Manchester University, found that after a year of niacin therapy the size of clogged artery walls in heart patients thinned down by an average of 1.1 sq mm, while those receiving a placebo saw an average increase of 1.2 sq mm.

Patients on niacin showed an average 23 percent increase in levels of good cholesterol and a reduction in bad cholesterol of 19 percent.

"For years we had always been taught that atherosclerosis was a relentless progressive disease," said Choudhury. "It is exciting to see a regression in established atherosclerosis."

"Our results are very encouraging in that they have shown a very definite potential benefit, and will certainly increase the great interest in the large outcome studies that are due to report in the next couple of years," he added.

Two such studies, including one at Oxford, involving thousands of patients will report their results in the next few years.(IANS)