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The US drugs watchdog has been asked to back a new medicine that combines two different treatments for cholesterol.
US drug firm Abbott Laboratories wants to combine its TriLipix pill with that of Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca’s statin drug Crestor.
The new medicine, to be marketed under the brand name Certriad if approved, is aimed at treating dyslipidemia – a disorder characterised by elevated cholesterol and a type of fat found in the bloodstream known as triglycerides.
TriLipix belongs to a class of drug called fibrates that raises “good” HDL cholesterol while reducing triglycerides and “bad” LDL cholesterol. Crestor lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL.
Figures from the American Heart Association show that more than 100 million adults in the US have the disorder.
Copyright Press Association 2009
