Treatment of severe and mild hypercholesterolaemia with probucol and neomycin.

Administration of probucol to 23 patients with familial xanthomatotic hypercholesterolaemia reduced the serum cholesterol level during the 9-month study by 9%, while in 15 patients with less severe hypercholesterolaemia the decrease was on an average 15%. A reduction of more than 10% was obtained in 57% of the former and 80% of the latter subjects. In a double blind trial a greater reduction was obtained in serum cholesterol by probucol than by placebo. Neomycin lowered the serum cholesterol more effectively than probucol in subjects with severe type II abnormality and was at least equally effective in less severe type II patients. Probucol increased transiently the faecal bile acid and dietary cholesterol excretion, while neomycin enhanced the faecal elimination of cholesterol as neutral sterols.