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# Merck Scraps NDA Filing for Cholesterol Drug
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/merck-scraps-nda-filing-for-cholesterol-drug/
- Published: 2017-10-12T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T22:55:35.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5139854

Merck says it will not seek FDA regulatory approval for anacetrapib, an investigational cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor for lowering cholesterol. The company says its decision follows a thorough review of anacetrapib’s clinical profile, including discussions with external experts, concluding that the “clinical profile for anacetrapib does not support regulatory filings.”

In June, Merck reported positive data on the drug’s efficacy, but later noted that it only reduced the risk of heart attacks, deaths and other heart disease complications by 9%. Those results did not offer much advantage over current and older statins, experts said at the time. At least four other drug makers have abandoned CETP products amid marginal clinical trial results.