Pfizer has been working on developing an oral pill and vaccine that will target PCSK9, the protein that maintains LDL or "bad" cholesterol in the bloodstream, according to a Reuters report.
The drugmaker has tested the experimental PCSK9 pill in animal trials and seen a substantial reduction in bad cholesterol. Pfizer expects the molecule PCSK9 protein-targeting pill to move to human trials this year.
Pfizer has also been working on an experimental bi-weekly injection called bococizumab that induces the body to produce its own PCSK9 antibodies and has been shown to lower cholesterol levels by as much as 60 percent.
The injection is for patients who can't tolerate statins, or whose cholesterol cannot be controlled with the older drugs. Pfizer does not expect bococizumab to move into human trials until 2016, according to the report.
Pfizer is not alone in this space; two other antibody drugs that target PCSK9 are in development — one from Amgen and one from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi SA.
More articles on vaccines:
Mount Sinai Health CEO: 'Universal' flu vaccine a possibility
This season's flu vaccine isn't a 'loser,' Loyola expert says
12-year study finds measles vaccine safe, rare adverse effects