MSD and Schering-Plough announce agreement on cholesterol drug

Merck, Sharp and Dohme (MSD) and Schering-Plough have signed a development agreement for a new treatment to lower cholesterol. The drug will be a combination of ezetimibe and atorvastatin.

In a clinical trial involving 628 patients, the administration of a combination of atorvastatin and ezetimibe resulted in a lowering of LDL cholesterol by 53-61 per cent from baseline, compared to a reduction of 37-54 per cent through treatment solely with atorvastatin.

Merck/Schering-Plough pharmaceuticals is a joint venture of MSD and Schering-Plough that was formed in 2000 for the development and marketing of compounds for the management of cholesterol and treatment of respiratory disease, expanded in 2001 to include worldwide markets, excluding Japan.

Richard T Clark, president and chief executive officer of MSD, said: “Everyone at MSD is delighted that we have entered into this agreement with Schering-Plough.”

He added that the co-development partnership typified the company’s Plan to Win strategy through increasing its science capabilities through internal research investment and external collaborations.

Last December, MSD announced the publication of data in Mayo Clinic Proceedings showing that ezetimibe/simvastatin is superior to atorvastatin at certain doses in reducing LDL cholesterol in patients with type II diabetes.