A new pill developed by Merck is showing promise in helping people with a genetic condition called heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH).
This condition causes very high levels of LDL cholesterol—often called “bad cholesterol”—because of a gene problem that makes it hard for the body to clear cholesterol from the blood.
People with HeFH have a higher risk of early heart disease because fatty deposits build up in their arteries, blocking blood flow.
In a year-long clinical trial, 303 adults from 17 countries with HeFH took part in the study. All were already using other cholesterol-lowering treatments like statins.
The participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group took 20 mg of Enlicitide daily, while the other took a placebo (a fake pill). Neither the doctors nor the patients knew who received the real drug.
After 24 weeks, people taking Enlicitide had an average drop of 58.2% in their LDL cholesterol levels. In contrast, those taking the placebo showed almost no change. At the end of the 52-week trial, the Enlicitide group had a 55.3% reduction in LDL, while the placebo group saw an increase of 8.7%.
Enlicitide also helped lower other harmful substances in the blood. Levels of Apolipoprotein B dropped by 48.2%, and Lipoprotein (a) went down by 24.7%. These particles are also linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
The pill was generally safe and easy to tolerate. About 77.7% of people taking Enlicitide and 76.2% of those on placebo reported at least one side effect. Only 2% of the Enlicitide group and 3% of the placebo group stopped treatment because of side effects.
The researchers concluded that Enlicitide is a helpful and safe option for adults with HeFH. It successfully lowers harmful cholesterol and is well tolerated. The next step is to find out if the big drop in cholesterol levels actually leads to fewer heart attacks and strokes. More studies are being done to explore this.
Researchers also plan to test Enlicitide in people who don’t have HeFH but are still at high risk for heart problems. If it works well for them too, the drug could help many more people protect their heart health.
In review, this new study suggests Enlicitide may become a useful new tool in the fight against heart disease caused by high cholesterol. It’s especially good news for people with inherited cholesterol problems, who often struggle to reach healthy levels even with existing treatments.
If future studies show it prevents heart attacks and strokes, it could change the way doctors treat high cholesterol in the future.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
The study is published in JAMA.
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