Merck’s LIPTRUZET Approved by the FDA

LIPTRUZET approved to help patients lower LDL cholesterol

/ Author:  / Reviewed by: Robert Carlson, M.D

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced that the US FDA has approved LIPTRUZET™(ezetimibe and atorvastatin) tablets for the treatment of elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in patients with primary or mixed hyperlipidemia as adjunctive therapy to diet when diet alone is not enough.

LIPTRUZET (pronounced LIP-true-zett) contains ezetimibe, an efficacious LDL cholesterol lowering therapy, and atorvastatin, currently one of the most widely prescribed statins in the US.

Once-daily LIPTRUZET treats two sources of cholesterol by inhibiting both the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract – through ezetimibe – and the production of cholesterol in the liver – through atorvastatin.

No incremental benefit of LIPTRUZET on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality over and above that demonstrated for atorvastatin has been established.

“A significant percentage of patients are unable to lower their LDL cholesterol to recommended levels despite treatment,” said Peter H. Jones, MD, associate professor of medicine, Baylor College of Medicine.

“Along with a healthy diet, LIPTRUZET (ezetimibe and atorvastatin) is an effective new lipid-lowering treatment option that may help address this unmet need as the complementary actions of its components can provide significant additional LDL lowering beyond atorvastatin therapy alone.”

Review Date: 
May 2, 2013