New pill could tame inherited high cholesterol
NCT ID NCT03038022
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tested an experimental drug called MGL-3196 (resmetirom) in 116 adults with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic condition causing very high cholesterol. Participants took either the drug or a placebo daily for 12 weeks. The main goal was to see if the drug could lower LDL (bad) cholesterol more than placebo.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- MGL-3196 (resmetirom)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could provide a new oral option to help control high cholesterol in people with familial hypercholesterolemia.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early Phase 2 trial with only 116 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drug may not lower cholesterol enough or could have side effects.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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116 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2017
- Finished
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Jan 2018
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Must be willing to participate in the study and provide written informed consent; * Male and female adults ≥18 years of age; * Female participants of child bearing potential with negative serum pregnancy (beta human chorionic gonadotropin) test who are not breastfeeding, do not plan to become pregnant during the study, and agree to use effective birth control per locally agreed requirements; male participants who have sexual intercourse with a female partner of child bearing potential from the first dose of study drug until 1 month after study completion must either be surgically sterile (confirmed by documented azoospermia \>90 days after the procedure) or agree to use a condom with spermicide. All male participants must agree not to donate sperm from the first dose of study drug until 1 month after study completion; * Must have a diagnosis of HeFH by genetic testing or by having met the diagnostic criteria for definite familial hypercholesterolemia outlined by the Simon Broome Register Group or World Health Organization/Dutch Lipid Network (score \>8); * Must have had a fasting LDL-C (low density lipoprotein cholesterol) ≥2.6 mmol/L (100 mg/dL); and * Must be on a stable or maximally tolerated dose (≥4 weeks prior to screening) of an approved statin (rosuvastatin ≤40 mg daily, atorvastatin ≤80 mg daily), with or without ezetimibe. Patients intolerant to statins were allowed. Exclusion Criteria: * Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia * LDL or plasma apheresis within 2 months prior to randomization; * New York Heart Association class III or IV heart failure, or known left ventricular ejection fraction \<30%; * Uncontrolled cardiac arrhythmia, including confirmed QT interval corrected using Fridericia's formula \>450 msec for males and \>470 msec for females at the screening electrocardiogram assessment; * Myocardial infarction, unstable angina, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass graft, or stroke within 3 months prior to randomization; * Type 1 diabetes, or newly diagnosed or uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (hemoglobin A1c \>8%); * History of significant alcohol consumption for a period of more than 3 consecutive months within 1 year prior to screening; Note: Significant alcohol consumption is defined as average of \>20 g/day in female participants and \>30 g/day in male participants; * Hyperthyroidism; * Thyroid replacement therapy; * Hypothyroidism; * Evidence of chronic liver disease; * Hepatitis B, as defined by the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen; * Hepatitis C, as defined by the presence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (anti-HCV) and HCV ribonucleic acid (RNA). Participants with positive anti-HCV who test negative for HCV RNA at screening will be allowed to participate in the study; * Serum alanine aminotransferase \>1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) (one repeat allowed); * Estimated glomerular filtration rate \<60 mL/min; * Creatine kinase \>3 x ULN (one repeat allowed); * History of biliary diversion; * Positive for human immunodeficiency virus infection; * History of malignant hypertension; * Systolic blood pressure \>160 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure \>100 mmHg at screening or randomization and confirmed at an unscheduled visit; * Triglycerides \>5.7 mmol/L (500 mg/dL) at screening and confirmed by repeat assessment; * Active, serious medical disease with likely life expectancy \<2 years; * Active substance abuse, including inhaled or injection drugs within the year prior to screening; * Participation in an investigational new drug trial within the 30 days prior to randomization; or * Any other condition which, in the opinion of the Investigator, would impede compliance, hinder completion of the study, or compromise the well-being of the participants.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Madrigal Research Site
Aalborg, Denmark
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Madrigal Research Site
Copenhagen, Denmark
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Madrigal Research Site
Esbjerg, Denmark
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Madrigal Research Site
Herlev, Denmark
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Madrigal Research Site
Viborg, Denmark
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Madrigal Research Site
Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Madrigal Research Site
Apeldoorn, Netherlands
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Madrigal Research Site
Goes, Netherlands
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Madrigal Research Site
Hoorn, Netherlands
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Madrigal Research Site
Nijmegen, Netherlands
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Madrigal Research Site
Zwijndrecht, Netherlands
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Madrigal Research Site - 1
Oslo, Norway
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Madrigal Research Site - 2
Oslo, Norway
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