Drugmaker Merck announces approval of new cholesterol-fighting drug

The brief

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…