GSK buys exclusive rights to OTC lovastatin from Merck & Co; FDA review pending

World number two pharmaceutical group, UK-headquartered GlaxoSmithKline says that it has entered into an agreement for over-the-counter marketing rights on US drug major Merck & Co's Mevacor (lovastatin). Under the deal, GSK will have exclusive rights to market OTC Mevacor in the USA. Financial terms of the accord are confidential but include milestone and royalty payments from to Merck, said GSK.

Mevacor was introduced in the USA in 1987 by Merck as the first in a class of cholesterol-reducing medicines known as statins, and its US patent expired in 2001.

Commenting on the agreement, GSK's chief executive, Jean-Pierre Garnier, stated: "this new partnership with Merck will enable GSK to address the important public health issue of high cholesterol and help patients better manage their health. OTC Mevacor will be a dynamic new addition to our fast-growing over-the-counter business and is further evidence of GSK's ability to partner in new OTC switch opportunities."