FDA Approves Juxtapid for Familial Hypercholesterolemia

Aegerion Pharmaceuticals recently announced that its new cholesterol-lowering medication, Juxtapid, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Juxtapid (lomitapide) primarily lowers LDL cholesterol and is indicated for individuals who have been diagnosed with the inherited condition, homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. 

Juxtapid is a new class of cholesterol-lowering medication and works by inhibiting microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTTP), a protein that helps assemble lipoproteins containing apoB. This prevents VLDL -- and LDL --  from being made in the body, lowering LDL levels.

The new drug should be available sometime in January 2013.