Drugmaker Merck announces approval of new cholesterol-fighting drug

Lipfendra can be taken in conjunction with or an alternative to statins, the most prescribed medication in the US Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The drug giant Merck on Thursday announced it had received FDA approval for a daily pill that can be an alternative to statins for treating high LDL levels, or so-called bad cholesterol. The new pill, Lipfendra, is a version of a drug called a PCSK9 inhibitor. For decades the go-to therapy to treat high cholesterol levels has been statins, the most prescribed medication in the US. But statins come occasionally with side-effects like muscle aches and they sometimes don’t drop cholesterol levels enough to meet recommended levels. Dr Puja Banka, associate vice-president for global clinical development at Merck and a pediatric cardiologist, said the development was important because statins are not doing enough to lower LDL levels to recommended levels. “Seventy per cent of patients are not getting to their LDL goal,” she said. The new pill, she said, would be taken “in conjunction” with statins, though in some cases could be taken alone. She said the side-effects of the newly approved drug appeared minimal in trials, with n