Vaccine to stop heart attacks could be developed

Injections of antibodies could prevent the build up of fat in the arteries which cause narrowings and break off leading to heart attacks, experts said. It would be the first time that the underlying causes of heart disease was targeted instead of reducing factors such as high levels of bad cholesterol and blood pressure which increase the likelihood of heart disease developing. Several different approaches are in the pipeline and could be licensed within five years, the Frontiers in CardioVascular Biology meeting at Imperial College London was told. Independent experts said the vaccines were 'very promising' and could have a big impact on the treatment of the disease. Cardiovascular disease causes one in three of all deaths in Britain accounting for 191,000 deaths a year