“Lipfendra (enlicitide) bridges the gap between the convenience of a daily pill and the efficacy of an injectable,” said Atkinson.
“When compared with traditional statins […] the main difference is in how the drugs work. While statins work inside liver cells to block the processes that create cholesterol in the first place, Lipfendra works outside the cells to make sure your liver has enough active receptors to clear the cholesterol floating in your blood,” he explained.
“Because of this, statins remain the first line of defense. But if statins alone don’t work to lower your cholesterol enough, or if you experience statin-induced muscle pain, Lipfendra offers a different, highly effective option with a different side effect profile,” he detailed.
More importantly, however, “when compared with other non-statin pills like ezetimibe or bempedoic acid, the big difference is in efficacy,” Atkinson emphasized.
He pointed out that Lipfendra delivered significantly greater LDL cholesterol reduction than drugs like ezetimibe and Bempedoic acid.
“And lastly, when compared with existing PCSK9 inhibitors like Repatha, Praluent, and Leqvio, which are injection treatments, the main difference is convenience,” he noted.
“Repatha and Praluent require self-injections every 2 to 4 weeks, and Leqvio is given twice a year. They also require special refrigerated storage, while Lipfendra is a simple daily pill that can be stored at room temperature,” said Atkinson.
“So while they achieve nearly identical results, Lipfendra is simply a needle-free, accessible version of this type of medication,” the expert concluded.