With just a few injections every year, this drug will be able to bring a significant decline in cholesterol level. The drug, in its early development, is hoped to generate billions of dollars in sales.

The drug is completely different working in comparison to its rival antibody-based PCSK9 medicines that work in the blood. The new drug is basically under-the-skin injection that stops the synthesis of the protein linked to bad cholesterol in the liver.

For now, the drug is known as ALN-PCSsc and was created by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and is now being developed by the Medicines Company. Clive Meanwell, MD of The Medicines Company said that the drug is phase 1 and they can expect anything as the drug moves forward to the rigorous testing.

In the phase-1 trial, the drug brought decline in LDL by a mean of 64%. The LDL levels remain lowered for over 140 days. Therefore, there is a possibility that less number of injections will be required per year.

No clinically significant adverse events were noticed in the ongoing phase 1 trial. In the trial, 76 patients having high cholesterol were studied. Now, the trail has the needed number of participants and it is continuing to follow patients and collect data.

Further data of the trial will be presented at the American Heart Association meeting in November. Alnylam CEO John Maraganore said, “If I knew then what we know now there’s no friggin’ way we would have licensed this out”.