Abbott has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Simcor, the first fixed-dose combination of two widely prescribed cholesterol therapies, Niaspan (Abbott's proprietary niacin extended-release) and simvastatin.

Simcor is approved for use along with diet to lower levels of elevated total cholesterol, LDL "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides, and to raise HDL "good" cholesterol in patients with complex lipid disease when treatment with simvastatin or Niaspan monotherapies are not considered adequate.

"Managing cholesterol encompasses many factors, not just lowering LDL. There is a clear need for medicines that both raise good and comprehensively lower the bad components of cholesterol," said Christie Ballantyne, MD, the Methodist DeBakey Heart and VascularCenter, Houston, and lead SIMCOR investigator. "Simcor represents an important new option to help patients reach healthy lipid levels".

An estimated 80 million Americans have high levels of the bad LDL cholesterol, and more than 44 million have low levels of the good HDL cholesterol, which the body uses to remove bad cholesterol from the bloodstream. Studies have shown that along with diet, Simcor can help patients with lipid disorders reach their treatment goals by addressing more than just bad cholesterol, targeting multiple lipids with one pill.

The FDA's approval was based on Simcor safety and efficacy trial data from more than 640 patients with mixed dyslipidemia and type II hyperlipidemia. In the Seacoast clinical trial, patients receiving Simcor 1000/20mg achieved significant cholesterol improvements over and above what simvastatin 20 mg alone provided. Patients treated with Simcor 1000/20mg had additional lipid improvements beyond simvastatin 20-mg treated baseline, with additional LDL reductions of 12 per cent and an additional 21 percent HDL increase compared to a 7 per cent decrease in LDL and an 8 per cent increase in HDL with simvastatin 20mg alone. Furthermore, Simcor reduced triglycerides by an additional 27 per cent compared to 15 per cent with simvastatin 20 mg alone.

"With Simcor, doctors now have a new option for helping patients reach their LDL and HDL cholesterol treatment goals with a combination of two proven therapies," said Eugene Sun, vice president of global clinical development for Abbott. "Abbott is committed to bringing forward new cholesterol therapies, and Simcor represents a new treatment option for patients in Abbott's rapidly expanding portfolio of cholesterol treatments for lipid disorders".

The American Heart Association, National Cholesterol Education Programme (NCEP) and American College of Cardiology recommend more aggressive treatment of HDL to reduce cardiovascular risk. Cholesterol and other lipids can build up in the bloodstream forming plaque and restricting blood flow, which can lead to heart disease. According to NCEP guidelines, a reduction in LDL of 1 per cent is associated with a 1 per cent reduction in heart disease risk. Additionally, raising HDL by 1 point is associated with a 2 per cent heart disease risk reduction.

Simcor is the combination of two cholesterol-lowering medications: niacin extended-release (Niaspan) and simvastatin. It is used along with diet to lower levels of total cholesterol, LDL "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides, and to increase HDL "good" cholesterol. SIMCOR is used when treatment with simvastatin monotherapy or niacin extended-release monotherapy is considered inadequate, and when diet and other non-drug measures alone have not been successful.