🌅 A Single Shot to Reduce Bad Cholesterol

SOURCE

Vafai et al. (2026)

WHAT TO KNOW

• A small trial of a new gene-editing treatment found a single injection of the highest dose lowered patients’ LDL cholesterol—the “bad” type—by an average of 62%, with the reduced levels persisting for up to 18 months after patients received the shot. The experimental drug, called VERVE-102, was developed by Verve Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly.

WHY IT MATTERS

• Without getting lost in the weeds, VERVE-102 works by turning off a gene in the liver that produces an enzyme—PCSK9—that blocks the liver from clearing LDL out of the bloodstream. Experts say the injection could be a game-changer as it only needs to be done once every six months, unlike daily statin pills, the medical stalwart doctors have prescribed for decades to reduce LDL. Research shows around 10% of patients stop using statins on their own (though other work suggests the figure could be as high as 50%), significantly increasing their risk of major heart events, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• Around 25% of U.S. adults have high cholesterol, which contributes to more than 3 million deaths each year. Scientists have known for decades that LDL cholesterol causes heart disease and drugs that reduce LDL levels, like statins, work to reduce the risk of major heart events. In fact, statins are so effective that around one in four Americans over the age of 40 takes the medication daily.