FDA approves first daily pill to drastically lower cholesterol levels

Keytruda ​is set to ​lose key patent ​protections starting in 2028, exposing the company to competition from potentially less expensive biosimilar versions of the drug.

Millions of Americans with high cholesterol now have a new treatment option, as the FDA has approved the first once-daily oral PCSK9 inhibitor.

The drug from Merck was OK'd on Thursday for patients with artery-clogging cholesterol that persists even after taking statins, the standard medications for cutting heart attack risk.

With the FDA’s approval, Lipfendra, also called enlicitide, would become the first oral PCSK9 inhibitor to enter the market, offering an alternative to a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs long dominated by injectables.