Merck delays Zocor/niacin combo
Executive Summary
Merck will not file its fixed-dose combo drug MK-0524B, combining Zocor (simvastatin) and MK-0524A (extended-release niacin and a flushing inhibitor), in 2007 as planned due to formulation problems, the company announces Sept. 29. The company will continue its late-stage clinical program to support the regulatory filing for the LDL-lowering/HDL-raising triple combination, but it did not announce a new timeline for NDA submission. The firm still expects to file MK-0524A in 2007. Merck has continuously said that neither product will affect Vytorin (simvastatin/ezetimibe), which it co-markets with Schering-Plough (1"The Pink Sheet" Jan. 16, 2006, p. 12)...