UPDATE: ENHANCE study on S-P/Merck & Co's combo statin disappoints

Schering-Plough and Merck & Co have reported disappointing data from the ENHANCE trial of their co-developmental cholesterol-lowering drug candidate Vytorin (ezetimibe and high-dose simvastatin) versus simvastatin (the latter's now off patent Zocor) alone. The two US drug majors have a joint venture to market both Vytorin and Zetia, which had combined sales in the first nine months of 2007 of $3.7 billion.

The news - which had been eagerly awaited by the investment community - showed that that the combination drug had failed to produce the desired effects and saw S-P's share price fall 8.0% to $25.52 while Merck's declined 1.3% to $59.78 by close of trading on January 14, the day the study results were revealed.

But analysts still upbeat