A new drug that 'melts away' the fat that builds up inside arteries has been hailed as a 'big breakthrough' in the fight against heart disease.

The medication has already been successful in trials for the treatment of breast cancer and diabetes and now scientists at Aberdeen University have discovered it could also boost cardiovascular health.

Just a single dose of trodusquemine tested on mice 'completely reversed' atherosclerosis, a disease that causes most heart attacks and strokes. The disease causes arteries to become clogged with fatty substances called plaques, which over time, hardens and narrows your arteries.

The drug 'mimics' the effects of exercise and activates a protective enzyme. It also inhibits another enzyme that causes prolonged inflammation and hardens arteries. 

Experts said their findings have the potential to ‘significantly reduce deaths’. Heart disease is the number one cause of death globally, killing 17.7 million people a year. Professor Mirela Delibegovic from the University of Aberdeen’s Institute of Medical Sciences who led the study told Mail Online: ‘We know this drug has been shown to have beneficial effects on reducing prolonged inflammation in type 2 diabetes and because this is also a factor in atherosclerosis we wanted to know if it had cardiovascular benefits too.

‘And our initial tests on mice show that it does, so this is potentially a big breakthrough.

‘Essentially, trodusquemine’s effects on key enzymes in play here are that it is stopping the bad guy and helping the good guy.

‘We will now need to carry out further research to see if the same effect is replicated in humans and it is safe. Previous research has shown that having a deficiency in this enzyme has a protective effect against atherosclerotic plaque formation.

Therefore, knowing this, the team wanted to test it to on mice with set-in atherosclerosis.

They found that they had less fatty plaques in their arteries whether they had regular doses over time or just a single dose of trodusquemine.

They also believe it stimulates the action of another protein called AMPK, which reduces chronic inflammation.

Inflammation plays a major role in all phases of atherosclerosis by thinning connective tissue in plaques and causing them to rupture.