Merck & Co.'s Zocor, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Pravachol and other cholesterol-reducing medicines may cut the risk of colon cancer by about half, according to a study in the May 26 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. People taking cholesterol drugs for five years had a 47 percent reduction in the risk of developing colon cancer than those who didn’t take them, said Stephen Gruber, the study’s lead author and an associate professor at the University of Michigan. Preliminary data from the study was presented at last year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.
