"Lipfendra": The First Pillar to Compete with Cholesterol-Lowering Injections

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a pill, the first of its kind, that can significantly lower cholesterol levels in a way previously available only through expensive injectable drugs.

The Merck drug was approved on Thursday for patients with high cholesterol that causes artery blockages and persists despite their use of statins, the standard medications used to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

This is the first non-injectable drug that works by inhibiting a protein in the liver known as PCSK9.

This protein reduces the body’s ability to remove cholesterol from the blood. Biologic injectable drugs targeting this protein have been available from Amgen and other pharmaceutical companies for more than a decade.

However, patients have faced barriers to accessing these drugs over the years due to their high prices, insurance restrictions, and limited prescribing by physicians.