Merck & Co and S-P shares fall as Vytorin misses primary endpoint in SEAS study

There were sharp drops in the share prices of US drug majors Merck & Co and Schering-Plough after their controversial cholesterol drug Vytorin (ezetimibe and high-dose simvastatin) failed to benefit patients with a rare heart valve disorder.

On the day results from the SEAS study were announced, July 21, Merck shares closed down 6% at $35.33, while its more exposed partner S-P lost 11.6% to $18.95.

The trial investigated the effects of intensive cholesterol lowering with the daily use of 40mg of the generic drug simvastatin and 10mg of Vytorin in aortic stenosis. Involving partial blockage of the aortic valve in the heart, the condition is relatively common among older people in western populations. Left untreated, it can progress to death from heart failure or cardiac arrest.