For adults whose triglyceride levels sit far above the normal range, the danger has never really been the number on a lab report. It has been the pancreas. A sudden, severe inflammation of that organ can put a person in the hospital for weeks, cause permanent damage, and occasionally kill.
There is now a treatment approved specifically to lower that risk. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Tryngolza, known generically as olezarsen, for adults with severe hypertriglyceridemia, defined as fasting triglycerides of at least 500 mg/dL. It is the first therapy in the United States carrying a labeled indication to reduce acute pancreatitis risk in this group.
