Merck’s Combination Of Ezetimibe And Atorvastatin Back On NDA Path

A combination tablet containing the cholesterol-lowering drugs ezetimibe and atorvastatin is back on the path to possible FDA approval, according to Merck, which already markets Zetia (ezetimibe) and Vytorin, the combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin. Merck has repeatedly stumbled in its efforts to gain FDA approval of the proposed new drug, which has been dubbed…

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PCSK9 Inhibitor Enhances Cholesterol-Lowering Effect Of Atorvastatin

When added to low-dose atorvastatin a much-discussed new monoclonal antibody to PCSK9 significantly lowers cholesterol more effectively than atorvastatin alone, according to a phase 2 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Earlier this year, in March, the findings of three phase 1 trials demonstrating the cholesterol-lowering effects of the drug in healthy volunteers and…

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FDA Panel Recommends Approval Of Mipomersen For Familial Hypercholesterolemia

The FDA’s Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee gave a weak endorsement to mipomersen, an antisense oligonucleotide inhibitor manufactured by Genzyme, for use in homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). With its relatively close 9-6 vote, and with its comments, the committee expressed concerns about both the efficacy and safety of the drug, but ultimately the severity of…

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FDA Reviewers Recommend Approval For Lomitapide For Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia

The FDA Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 13-2 to recommend approval of Aegerion Pharmaceuticals’ cholesterol-lowering drug lomitapide for use in patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). The lopsided vote does not completely reflect the views of many of the panel members, who expressed considerable concern  that the drug might be used in lower…

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FDA Review Raises Safety Concerns About Mipomersen

An FDA review raises a number of potentially significant safety concerns about the cholesterol-lowering drug mipomersen. The review appears ahead of a Thursday meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee to evaluate Genzyme’s new drug application (NDA) for use of the drug as an adjunct to maximally tolerated lipid-lowering medications and diet to reduce…

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FDA Reviewers Raise No New Red Flags Over Lomitapide

FDA reviewers have raised no new concerns about lomitapide ahead of a Wednesday meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee.  The FDA today released briefing documents that evaluate the new drug application (NDA) for lomitapide capsules, the microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) inhibitor from  Aegerion Pharmaceuticals for use as an adjunct to a low-fat diet and…

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