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news.Schering-Plough has received Japanese marketing approval for Zetia, a cholesterol-lowering agent that inhibits the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine.
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Zetia will help Schering-Plough to access the cholesterol-management market which is one of the largest worldwide, with total global sales of $34 billion according to IMS Health.
In Japan Zetia is approved for use in patients with hypercholesterolemia, familial hypercholesterolemia or homozygous sitosterolemia. The drug will be co-marketed in Japan with Bayer Yakuhin. Schering-Plough, in collaboration with Merck, has developed and commercialized Zetia for lipid management.
Zetia, which works in the digestive tract to inhibit the absorption of cholesterol, is complementary to the class of cholesterol-lowering agents known as statins, which work in the liver to reduce the production of cholesterol. Zetia, alone or in combination with statins, has been proven to significantly improve LDL cholesterol levels. Zetia, either alone or in addition to a statin, has not been shown to prevent heart disease or heart attacks.