A new daily pill cut harmful cholesterol far more than today's pills
A new daily pill lowered harmful cholesterol by about 65%, well beyond the other pill options doctors use now. In a 301-person trial over eight weeks, the best rival treatment reached 37%.
Why it matters
LDL cholesterol is a fatty substance that builds up inside blood vessels and can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Many people take a statin pill for it, but for a lot of them the level still stays too high. The strongest extra medicines today are injections, which some people cannot get or do not want. A pill that works this well would be much easier to take every day. Still, this trial lasted only eight weeks and measured cholesterol levels, not whether fewer people had heart attacks. That bigger question is not answered yet.
Who's behind it: Alberico L. Catapano, Christie M. Ballantyne and colleagues, University of Milan and Baylor College of Medicine, with hospitals in several countries. Run by Merck, the company developing this drug.
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