An advisory committee to the US Food and Drug Administration rejected a request by the US pharmaceutical company Merck for its cholesterol lowering drug lovastatin to be sold over the counter (without a doctor's prescription).
In issuing the rejection, the panel said no evidence showed that it could be used safely and effectively in a consumer setting.
The drug's manufacturer wanted to market a 10 mg dose over the counter to people without heart disease who have a total cholesterol level of 5.2-6.2 mmol/l.
Full story in News Extra at bmj.com