FDA approves new cholesterol drug

The Food and Drug Administration approved a new cholesterol-lowering drug called Vytorin, the drug’s maker announced Friday.

The pill, manufactured and marketed by a joint venture between Merck & Co. Inc. and Schering-Plough Corp., is a combination of two other cholesterol drugs, Zetia and Zocor.

Vytorin has been shown in studies to lower cholesterol better than market leader Lipitor, which holds a 55 percent share of prescriptions and 49 percent of sales.

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Zocor is from the class of drugs known as statins, and lowers cholesterol by cutting its production in the liver. Zetia, meanwhile, limits the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines.

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Vytorin’s approval coincides with the release last week of new guidelines that call for high-risk heart patients to lower their so-called bad cholesterol, or LDL, to 70 instead of 100 as previously recommended.

The FDA was not immediately available for comment.