Schering, Merck to make Lipitor combo Rx

KENILWORTH, N.J., March 26 (UPI) -- Schering-Plough and Merck said Monday they have plans to develop a cholesterol drug combining their Zetia with Pfizer's Lipitor.

The news that the companies plan to use Lipitor once it goes off patent caught Pfizer by surprise, according to a report Monday on CNBC.

Schering and Merck could market the lipid-lowering drug combo once Lipitor goes off patent, set to happen in 2010.

Schering and Merck said in a statement released Monday they anticipate they could have their new combination therapy ready to launch at that time.

The development partners are seeking to build on the success of their previously marketed cholesterol-lowering combination drug, Vytorin, an amalgam of Zetia and Merck's own cholesterol pill Zocor, a powerhouse product that racked up 2006 sales of approximately $2 billion.

"This important new combination therapy reflects the growing potential of ezetimibe," Fred Hassan, chairman and CEO of Schering-Plough, said in a statement issued Monday. "Given the size of the worldwide market in which this product would compete, we believe the combination of ezetimibe with atorvastatin could be an important contributor to Schering-Plough's future."

Schering and Merck estimated the cholesterol-lowering drug market at $32 billion worldwide, with the U.S. market alone at $22 billion, quoting data from IMS Health.

In the wake of the news, Pfizer officials told CNBC the drug maker "does not comment on other company's products."