FAQ: New Oral Cholesterol Medication Enlicitide - Key Information
TL;DR
Enlicitide offers a convenient oral alternative to injections, providing similar LDL reduction advantages for patients needing additional cholesterol control beyond statins.
The oral medication enlicitide blocks PCSK9 protein binding to LDL receptors, reducing LDL cholesterol by up to 60% through daily dosing over 24 weeks.
This daily pill could prevent heart attacks and strokes by making effective cholesterol treatment more accessible and convenient for high-risk patients worldwide.
A new daily pill lowers bad cholesterol as effectively as injections while also reducing other heart disease markers like Lp(a) by 28%.
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The research focuses on enlicitide, a new daily oral medication that can lower LDL (bad) cholesterol by up to 60%, potentially offering a more convenient alternative to injectable PCSK9 inhibitors for high-risk patients.
People who have experienced a heart attack or stroke, or who are at high risk of one, and whose LDL cholesterol levels remain above goal despite lifestyle changes and standard cholesterol medications like statins.
Enlicitide is an oral small molecule macrocyclic peptide that blocks the PCSK9 protein from binding to LDL receptors, which helps increase the number of LDL receptors available to clear 'bad' cholesterol from the bloodstream.
Enlicitide offers a daily oral alternative to PCSK9 inhibitors, which are currently only available as injections administered under the skin, potentially providing similar effectiveness with greater convenience.
This is preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025; the findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
A longer, ongoing cardiovascular outcomes study will examine whether enlicitide can actually reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke in addition to lowering cholesterol levels.
The research was presented on November 8, 2025, at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Many patients struggle to reach guideline-recommended cholesterol targets despite currently available therapies, leaving them at unnecessary risk of stroke and/or heart attack, and this oral medication could provide another powerful treatment option.
The study is a research abstract presented at a scientific meeting and has not yet been peer-reviewed; the findings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The lead study author is Ann Marie Navar, M.D., Ph.D., FAHA, an associate professor of cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
Curated from NewMediaWire
