New PCSK9 Cholesterol Drug Faces Tough Foe. (Hint: Not Cholesterol.)

Remember when the new wave of expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs—known as PCSK9 inhibitors—were supposed to give the healthcare system a financial heart attack?

Far from it. Four years after approval the two PCSK9 blockers on the market have yet to crack $1 billion in annual sales, combined, thanks to a gloves-off effort by insurers to beat back their use. One of the two drugs might even be on life support.