New Pill From Merck Could Slash Cholesterol Levels, Trials Show
The drug targets the PCSK9 protein, and could give millions of people a more affordable option to reduce their heart disease risk.
Merck, the company that introduced statins to the world nearly 40 years ago, has a new, intensely powerful pill that can slash levels of dangerous LDL cholesterol to levels almost never seen in adults.
The new pill, enlicitide, blocks a liver protein, PCSK9, that slows the body’s ability to clear cholesterol. With most PCSK9 blocked, LDL levels plummet and rates of heart attacks and strokes in high risk patients fall by up to 20 percent in just the first year.
At least six million adults in the United States are eligible for drugs that block PCSK 9.
Merck is now conducting a large study of more than 14,500 people to confirm that the reduction in LDL cholesterol translates into fewer heart attacks and strokes, and fewer cardiovascular deaths.