Drugs for controlling cholesterol

Combining Zetia (ezetimibe), a drug that blocks cholesterol absorption in the gut, with Zocor (simvastatin), a drug that reduces cholesterol formation, may help patients reach their target cholesterol levels, new research suggests.Researchers from the Miami Research Associates, Florida, USA, did a study with 710 patients with high levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol who were treated with Zocor alone or with one of three combinations of Zocor and Zetia for 23 weeks. The goal was to achieve an LDL cholesterol level below 100, and the Zocor dose could be increased as needed to achieve this goal. All the three combination regimens produced greater reductions in cholesterol than Zocor alone. Moreover, at 5 weeks and at the end of the study, the percentage of patients who reached the cholesterol goal was greater in the combination drug groups. Patients in the Zocor-only group were also more likely than those in the combination drug groups to require an increase in the Zocor dose.Based on these encouraging findings, a Zocor/Zetia combination pill is currently under development, the researchers concluded.