Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK), Pfizer Inc. (PFE): FDA Approves Powerful New Cholesterol Drug

The biggest loser here could be AstraZeneca plc (ADR) (NYSE:AZN)‘s Crestor, the other powerful statin on the market, which is now without a comparable Zetia-containing combination drug. If doctors are going to start a patient on a statin with the expectation that they might want to add Zetia later, it makes sense to start with Lipitor.

Of course, that’s just adding insult to injury since Lipitor is also preferred because it’s available as cheap generic. In the first quarter, U.S. prescriptions for Crestor were down 7% while total prescriptions for statin products increased by 1%.

All eyes now turn toward the Improve-It trial, which is testing Vytorin against Zocor to see if the combination drug not only lowers cholesterol but also decreases heart-related events: heart attacks, strokes, and the like. If the combination drug really does improve it, we’ll likely see an increase in the use of Vytorin and probably Liptruzet as well.

The article FDA Approves Powerful New Cholesterol Drug originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Brian Orelli has no position in any stocks mentioned, and neither does The Motley Fool.

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