Vytorin, LDL-Targeting Drugs Work

November 17, 2014

November 17, 2014 | The results of the IMPROVE-IT trial were announced today, a seven-year study looking at whether Merck's Vytorin and Zetia pills actually prevent heart attack. The answer: yes. At least some.

The drug in the pills--ezetimibe--targets the NPC1L1 protein. Last week researchers showed that naturally-inactivated NPC1L1 protein lowered risk of coronary heart disease by 53%, but in talking with Bio-IT World, the lead researcher pointed out that a genetic mutation had lifelong effects on patients, not the same as a drug. But the drug does seem to work. The modest boost might not mean a great deal for a drug about to go off patent, but it could be huge news for the landscape of cholesterol drugs in general. Matthew Herper breaks down the outcomes at Forbes.