Merck’ HDL Drug Not Linked to Heart Problems

There still may be hope left for a drug to come out that is targeted towards increasing HDL, the good cholesterol. Merck & Co. on Tuesday said its experimental cholesterol drug MK-859 raised levels of "good" HDL cholesterol by more than 50 percent in clinical trials, without raising blood pressure or causing serious cardiovascular side effects.

The drug is a member of the same class of medicines as torcetrapib, Pfizer Inc.’s high-profile experimental medicine that was discontinued earlier this month after it was linked to elevated blood pressure and a worrisome number of deaths.

Merck also told analysts at a four-hour meeting that it had high hopes for an experimental drug, MK-364, which causes weight losses by the same mechanism of action as Sanofi-Aventis’, Acomplia.

But Merck said its drug was associated with psychiatric side effects in clinical trials.