Daiichi Sankyo Inc’s supplemental new drug application (sNDA) for Welchol has ben approved by the FDA. Welchol is to be used as an adjunct to diet and exercise for the reduction of elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in boys and postmenarchal girls, aged between 10 and 17 years suffering from heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. The drug can be used alone or in combination with a statin after failing an adequate trial of diet therapy.

The FDA is reviewing the safety of Vytorin, which combines the cholesterol-lowering drugs Zocor and Zetia, after a clinical trial SEAS revealed that 4.1% of patients taking the drug died of some form of cancer. Although the impact is small, the FDA has alarmed doctors and patients about it. Meanwhile it has asked the manufacturers for further data. However, the FDA and the American Heart Association have said that the patients should not stop taking Vytorin or any other cholesterol drug as that may add to the risk of having a heart attack.

An article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine has indicated that statins, which are usually prescribed to lower blood cholesterol levels, might reduce blood pressure in patients. The study, led by Beatrice A Golomb and conducted on 973 participants, demonstrated that there was a noticeable decline in blood pressure in patients taking statins, a drug that inhibits an enzyme involved in the synthesis of cholesterol.