GBA to decide on future of Merck's ezetimibe after German assessment sees no benefit
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
IQWiG, Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficacy in Healthcare, says that the benefits of the hypolipidaemic combination product ezetimibe are not clear. The institute's report does not bode well for Merck & Co, which markets Zetia (ezetimibe) and Vytorin (ezetimibe plus simvastatin). The company must not await the verdict of the GBA, the Federal Joint Committee, which makes decisions on reimbursement, whether or not to take action on the report. It "undermines the drug and adds weight to the argument that it should not be prescribed so widely," says Gideon Heap, an analyst at Datamonitor.