Esperion’s experimental treatment for lowering cholesterol is poised to help millions of patients, CEO Tim Mayleben told CNBC on Wednesday.
Meg Tirrell on “Power Lunch.”
“We know [our new drug] can get 6 or 7 million patients to their goal.”
Shares of Esperion popped on the news. The stock is up more than 10 percent since Monday.
About 1 in 3 Americans have high cholesterol, which raises the risk for heart disease and stroke. Both are leading causes of death in the U.S.
Some patients need a class of drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors, which have been shown to dramatically lower LDL levels but tend to be pricey.
However, Mayleben said his company is developing a new drug that can complement statins “for the many, not for the few patients … who need a specialty drug like PCSK9s.”
“Our drugs are really positioned for the many patients, the millions of patients who are taking the maximum dose of a statin they can take but still need additional LDL cholesterol lowering, and in some cases that’s no statin at all,” he said.
“For those patients we have a convenient, once-daily pill that they can use and get their cholesterol down to their targeted goal.”