About six weeks after the Food and Drug Administration approved the first cholesterol pill in the PCSK9 class, the practical question for patients has shifted from whether the drug works to what it costs and whether insurance will pay for it. Lipfendra, known generically as enlicitide, is now stocked at retail and mail-order pharmacies, and the cash price is where most households will first encounter it.
Merck set a list price of $315 for a 30-day supply. Cash prices at major chains sit close to that figure. GoodRx lists an average retail price near $382, with discounted prices at individual pharmacies running from about $309 to $356. Over a year, the list price works out to roughly $3,780 before insurance, discounts or copay assistance.
