A new medication has just received approval from the Federal Food and Drug Administration to treat high cholesterol. Livalo, also known by its medical name pitavastatin, was approved after 5 clinical studies that compared its safety and effectiveness to 3 other popular statin medications.
The medicine is designed to lower elevated or abnormal cholesterol levels and according to the manufacturer, Kowa Pharmaceuticals, has a unique structure that means its has greater potential for lowering LDL cholesterol and reducing plasma cholesterol.
The chief operating officer of Kowa said their product stood out in the already overcrowded statin market because it is metabolized differently to most of its competitors, meaning that there are less of the common drug interactions that can make things difficult for patients taking multiple medications.
They plan to launch the product onto the American market at the beginning of 2010. Kawa say they plan to market it though a combination of its own sales force and a marketing partner. They are currently looking for the partner and say that a number of companies have expressed an interest.