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Experimental drug Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin) was found tolower the risk of major vascular events by 16.1% compared to aplacebo for patients with chronic kidney disease , Merck & Co announced today. Vytorin is a cholesterol lowering medication. Examples of major vascular events arenon-fatal heart attacks , stroke or any type of revascularization procedure. Ezetimibe/simvastatin is currently approved for patients withprimary hypercholesterolemia or mixed hyperlipidemia. Merck says itwill seek approval for patients with chronic kidney diseasefollowing the positive results of its latest trial. The trial - SHARP ( S tudy of H eart and R enal P rotection) - included 9,000 advanced or end-stage chronic kidneydisease patients. Merck says it is the first prospective clinicalstudy with such patients that demonstrates the benefit of reducingLDL cholesterol* on major vascular events. * LDL cholesterol, or Low Density Lipoprotein, is often referred toas bad cholesterol. LDL carries cholesterol from the liver tocells. If more LDL is carried than the cells need, there may be aharmful accumulation of LDL. If levels are too high there is a riskof arterial disease. Most human blood carries approximately 70%LDL, however this may vary. Professor Colin Baigent, F.F.P.H., F.R.C.P., and Dr. MartinLandray, Ph.D., F.R.C.P., the principal investigators of SHARP,from the Oxford University Clinical Trial Service Unit (CTSU),Oxford, England, said: "This is an important study," said Dr. Peter S. Kim, Ph.D.,president, Merck Research Laboratories. "Patients with CKD have ahigh risk of ischemic vascular disease and increased rates of heartattack, stroke, other cardiovascular events and revascularizationprocedures. In SHARP, the investigational use of Vytorinsignificantly reduced the risk of these events in a spectrum ofpatients with chronic kidney disease - and this was the firstdemonstration that an LDL-cholesterol lowering medicine could doso." The study was presented at the annual meeting of the AmericanSociety of Nephrology in Denver. Merck informs that Vytorin should not be taken by patients withactive liver disease or unexplained persistent elevations of serumtransaminases. The medication should not be taken by women ofchildbearing age unless they are sure they are not going toconceive, nursing mothers, or pregnant mothers. The study's primary endpoint was to see whether Vytorin could lowermajor vascular event risk in patients with chronic kidney diseaseby bringing down LDL cholesterol levels. It is known that chronickidney disease patients have a higher risk of cardiovasculardisease, but nobody was sure whether reducing LDL cholesterollevels might have an impact on the risk. Previous studies using statins on patients with end-stage kidneydisease who were on dialysis showed no such benefit. In the SHARPstudy, two-thirds of the participants were not on dialysisinitially. Half of the 9,000 patients were given a placebo and theother half Vytorin. They were monitored for approximately 4 years(average). 701 (15%) of the those in the Vytorin group had a majorvascular event compared to 814 (18%) in the placebo group. Ezetimibe/simvastatin is a medication combination for the treatmentof high cholesterol and/or fats in the blood (dyslipidemia). It isa combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin. Ezetimibe is known asZetia in the USA and Ezetrol in other countries. Simvastatin iscommonly known as Zocor in the USA. The combination preparation is marketed through ajoint venture by Merck & Co and Schering-Plough under the tradenames Inegy and Vytorin. Written by Christian Nordqvist. I am an expert from cellphone-replacement-parts.com, while we provides the quality product, such as China Cellphone Replacement Parts , China IPod Video LCD Replacement, Apple IPod Spare Parts,and more.
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