Appeals court upholds patent on Merck’s Vytorin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The patent on Merck & Co's cholesterol fighters Zetia and Vytorin, two of the drugmaker's biggest products, is valid, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday. Vytorin combines Zocor, a member of the statin family developed by Merck, with a newer Merck cholesterol treatment called Zetia. Sales of Vytorin are $1.75 billion while sales of Zetia used by itself are another $2.6 billion a year. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit did not discuss the ruling at length and simply affirmed a decision by a lower court in New Jersey. The U.S. …