The FDA is reviewing the safety of Vytorin, which combines the cholesterol-lowering drugs Zocor and Zetia, after a clinical trial SEAS revealed that 4.1% of patients taking the drug died of some form of cancer. Although the impact is small, the FDA has alarmed doctors and patients about it. Meanwhile it has asked the manufacturers for further data. However, the FDA and the American Heart Association have said that the patients should not stop taking Vytorin or any other cholesterol drug as that may add to the risk of having a heart attack.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. has received FDA approval for Levoleucovorin as a treatment for osteosarcoma. The drug has been approved for use after high-dose methotrexate therapy and to counteract the effects of impaired methotrexate elimination and an overdose of folic acid antagonists. The company intends to apply for FDA approval of Levoleucovorin in colon cancer and as an oral tablet by mid 2008.