Daily pill slashes ‘bad’ cholesterol levels by 60% in yearlong trial

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A new daily pill could reducebad cholesterol levelsby 60%, according to a new study.

Enlicitide, which was developed by Merck, lowered “bad” LDL cholesterol by more than half in a global study published this week in JAMA, the journal of the American Medical Association.

The trial, led by Dr.Christie M.Ballantyne of the Texas Heart Institute, spanned 59 medical sites across 17 countries.

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It involved 303 adults who had been diagnosed with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), a genetic condition that elevates LDL cholesterol and raises the risk of earlyheart disease.

All participants were already taking other medications or lipid-lowering therapies, but their cholesterol levels remained above target, according to a press release from the researchers.

Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) is a genetic condition that elevates LDL cholesterol and raises the risk of early heart disease.(iStock)

Researchers randomly assigned participants to receive either 20 mg of Enlicitide once a day or aplacebo pill.

The trial ran for 52 weeks.By week 24, people taking Enlicitide saw their LDL levels plunge by an average of 58%.Those taking the placebo saw virtually no change.

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The difference between groups, nearly 60%, was statistically significant, and the effect held steady through the one-year mark.

After 52 weeks, the Enlicitide group maintained about a 55% reduction, while the placebo group’s cholesterol rose slightly, the release stated.

cold-like symptoms, the researchers shared.

Man holding the medicine bottle in one hand and pill in other

All participants were already taking other medications or other lipid-lowering therapies, yet their cholesterol levels remained above target.(iStock)

HeFH affects about one in 250 people worldwide, and many struggle to control their cholesterol even with intensive therapy, according to the study.

CurrentPCSK9-blocking drugs(also called PCSK9 inhibitors) that achieve similar results are injections given every few weeks.Enlicitide could offer a simpler, once-daily oral option.

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Researchers cautioned that the results come with caveats.The study focused on cholesterol numbers and not on whether the pill actually preventsheart attacks, strokesor deaths.Those larger outcome studies are still ongoing.

The research also only included people with HeFH who were already on other treatments, so it’s unclear how the drug will perform in people with more common types of high cholesterol.

Also, because the study lasted just a year, long-term safety remains to be proven.

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