• Posted February 9, 2026

Experimental Pill Slashes 'Bad' Cholesterol Levels

A daily experimental pill can slash levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, a new clinical trial has found.

Enlicitide cut people’s LDL cholesterol levels by up to 60%, according to results published Feb. 4 in The New England Journal of Medicine.

“These reductions in LDL cholesterol are the most we have ever achieved with an oral drug by far since the development of statins,” lead researcher Dr. Ann Marie Navar, a cardiologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said in a news release.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing enlicitide, and these clinical trial results will factor into the agency’s decision.

Enlicitide belongs to a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors. These drugs work by boosting the liver’s ability to remove LDL cholesterol from the bloodstream.

For the new study, researchers recruited more than 2,900 patients who either already had or are at risk for having clogged arteries.

Nearly 97% of the patients were already taking a statin, but their average LDL cholesterol level was 96 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) — far higher than the recommended levels of 70 mg/dl for people with clogged arteries and 55 mg/dl for those at risk of heart disease.

Two-thirds of the patients were randomly chosen to take a daily dose of enlicitide, while the rest took a placebo.

After six months, LDL cholesterol levels had dropped by about 60% for those taking enlicitide, compared to a placebo.

The drug also significantly lowered other types of cholesterol and lipids associated with heart disease, and the results held steady during a yearlong follow-up period.

“Fewer than half of patients with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease currently reach LDL cholesterol goals,” Navar said. “An oral therapy this effective has the potential to dramatically improve our ability to prevent heart attacks and strokes on a population level.”

The drug also did not produce any significant side effects, the study said.

The clinical trial was sponsored by the drug’s developer, Merck & Co. Inc.

A separate clinical trial is already underway to see whether enlicitide’s ability to reduce LDL cholesterol will translate into a reduction in heart attacks and strokes, researchers said.

More information

The Cleveland Clinic has more on PCSK9 inhibitors.

SOURCES: UT Southwestern Medical Center, news release, Feb. 4, 2026; The New England Journal of Medicine, Feb. 4, 2026