Merck Inc,. withdraws Tredaptive treatment for Dyslipidaemia

Merck Inc.,announced that it is taking steps to suspend the availability of Tredaptive (extended-release niacin/laropiprant) tablets worldwide. Tredaptive is not approved for use in the United States.

Merck is taking these steps based on the current understanding of the preliminary data from the HPS2-THRIVE (Heart Protection Study 2-Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events) study, and in consultation with regulatory authorities. As previously reported by Merck , HPS2-THRIVE did not achieve its primary endpoint of reduction of major vascular events, and there was a statistically significant increase in the incidence of some types of non-fatal serious adverse events in the group that received Tredaptive compared to statin therapy.