Millions of Americans with high cholesterol now have a new treatment option, as the FDA has approved the first once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor.Merck, the New Jersey-based manufacturer of Lipfendra (enlicitide), announced the approval on Thursday.Lipfendra blocks the action of PCSK9, a naturally occurring protein that affects how the liver removes LDL ("bad") cholesterol from the bloodstream.DR OZ LINKS OBESITY TO CHRONIC DISEASE SURGE, SAYS GLP-1S CAN 'JUMPSTART' BETTER HEALTH"PCSK-9 is a protein that works in the liver, preventing the recycling of LDL receptors, as a result increasing bad cholesterol in the blood," Dr.Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, told Fox News Digital.Millions of Americans with high cholesterol now have a new treatment option, as the FDA has approved the first once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor.
(iStock)"In the caveman days, this was useful when we were hunter-gatherers and didn't always have food, but now it mainly forms plaques that lead directly to heart disease."YOUR RESTING HEART RATE COULD REVEAL MORE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH THAN YOU THINK, DOCTORS SAYThe pill is approved as an add-on to diet and other LDL-lowering therapies in adults with high cholesterol, including inherited forms of high cholesterol, Merck stated.In phase 3 clinical trials, Lipfendra was shown to reduce LDL cholesterol by roughly 56% to 60% when combined with statin therapy.TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ"This is around double the impact of statins," Siegel noted.The pill was generally well-tolerated in the trials, Merck reported.The most common side effects were diarrhea and dizziness, while serious side effects and treatment discontinuations occurred at rates similar to those in the placebo group.The pill was generally well-tolerated in the trials, Merck reported.
The most common side effects were diarrhea and dizziness, while serious side effects and treatment discontinuations occurred at rates similar to those in the placebo group.(iStock)Statin...