Experimental cholesterol pill cuts heart attack risk with 'convenient' once-daily dose

The experimental medication, called Obicetrapib, underwent a Phase 3 clinical trial at Monash University in Australia.

The trial included more than 2,500 people averaging 65 years of age. All had either been diagnosed with heart disease or had genetically high cholesterol, according to a university press release. 

One group received Obicetrapib and another group took a placebo, while still maintaining their existing cholesterol drugs. 

The findings were presented last month at the European Atherosclerosis Society Congress in the U.K. and were also published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"We know that many people at high risk of heart attack or stroke don't get their cholesterol levels low enough, even on the best available treatments," said study lead Professor Stephen Nicholls, director of Monash University's Victorian Heart Institute and Monash Health's Victorian Heart Hospital, in the release.

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), which is sometimes called "bad cholesterol," is associated with negative health effects when present in high amounts.

LDL can build up in the blood vessels and increase heart attack and stroke risk, the researchers cautioned.

Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a protein that is known to greatly increase the chances of a heart attack when it's present in high levels in the blood.

Obicetrapib was found to be "well-tolerated" by the participants, the researchers noted. 

"This could be a valuable tool in the fight against heart disease," Nicholls added. "It's convenient, it's effective, and it may help close the gap for patients who've run out of options."

The study - which was funded by NewAmsterdam Pharma, a developer of Obicetrapib that is based in the Netherlands - did have some limitations, the researchers noted.

For example, the participants were not chosen based on high Lp(a), which means the study did not determine how the drug impacted those with elevated levels of the protein.

Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for additional comment.