PCSK9 and coronary artery disorder: For instance, genetic variants in the HMGCR and PCSK9 gene regions associated with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and coronary heart disease risk suggest that inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) and of proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) would reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels and therefore be protective of coronary heart disease risk; the former mechanism is how statin drugs act [33], and the drugs targeting the latter mechanism are already in late-stage development [34], [35].