Andrx files NDA for new lovastatin form

Andrx Group has submitted its first New Drug Application to the US Foodand Drug Administration for a long-acting version of Merck & Co's cholesterol-lowering treatment Mevacor (lovastatin), which it intends to market, under the trade name Avicor, for the prevention of vascular disease associated with abnormal blood lipids. The submission utilizes Andrx' patented SCOT drug delivery technology and, if approved, the product will compete in the $7 billion US market for cholesterol-lowering drugs, growing at 20% per year.