Oct. 7, 2011 -
Multiple National Guidelines Recommend that Patients with Type 2 Diabetes be Treated for Cholesterol -
Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved JUVISYNC™ (sitagliptin and simvastatin), a new treatment for type 2 diabetes that combines the glucose-lowering medication sitagliptin, the active component of JANUVIA® (sitagliptin), with the cholesterol-lowering medication ZOCOR® (simvastatin). JUVISYNC is the first treatment option for healthcare providers to help patients who need the blood sugar-lowering benefits of a DPP-4 inhibitor and the cholesterol-lowering benefits of simvastatin, with the convenience of a single tablet once daily. "Although clinical guidelines put people with type 2 diabetes who need glycemic and lipid therapy at the same risk level as those with coronary heart disease, nearly 40 percent of eligible patients do not receive statin treatment," said Barry J. Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., vice president, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Merck. "We are proud to bring forward a treatment option that can help these patients who need both glycemic and lipid therapy."
Indications and usage for JUVISYNC
JUVISYNC is indicated in patients for whom treatment with both sitagliptin and simvastatin is appropriate. Sitagliptin is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Therapy with lipid-altering agents should be only one component of multiple risk factor intervention in individuals at significantly increased risk for atherosclerotic vascular disease due to hypercholesterolemia. Drug therapy is indicated as an adjunct to diet when the response to a diet restricted in saturated fat and cholesterol and other nonpharmacologic measures alone has been inadequate. In patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) or at high risk of CHD, simvastatin can be started simultaneously with diet...
Merck' s Press Release -
