Merck’s pill to reduce cholesterol on top of statins matches results from injectables

Elizabeth Cooney is a cardiovascular disease reporter at STAT, covering heart, stroke, and metabolic conditions. You can reach Liz on Signal at LizC.22.

NEW ORLEANS — A pill designed to further lower cholesterol in people already on statins but at risk of a serious cardiovascular event — their first or a recurrence — reduced LDL cholesterol by up to 60%, a new late-stage trial presented here Saturday has found. Two-thirds of patients cut their cholesterol by at least half.

The trial fulfills a longtime goal of Merck: to make a pill that achieves LDL cholesterol reductions on par with those obtained with injected monoclonal antibodies. 

Enlicitide, Merck’s oral, once-daily PCSK9 inhibitor, was tested against a placebo in a Phase 3 clinical trial that enrolled 2,900 people with high levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol. The participants had experienced or were at risk of a major cardiovascular problem because of predispositions such as excess weight, obesity, or diabetes. The list of serious conditions included coronary heart disease, a heart attack, or a stroke as well as peripheral artery disease.