FDA approves Lipfendra, a powerful cholesterol-lowering pill from Merck

Merck said on Thursday the Food and Drug Administration has approved Lipfendra, a PCSK9 inhibitor cholesterol pill.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved a new cholesterol pill from Merck that works in a different way from statins.

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The daily pill, called Lipfendra, is known as a PCSK9 inhibitor — a class of powerful cholesterol-lowering medication that had previously only been available as injections.

The drug was approved for people with hypercholesterolemia, or high levels of LDL cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol.