And the company hopes to improve the absorption (and effect) of Abbott's 431 compound by developing it as an inhaler.

FORBES: Drug warrior

Thus, a lot is riding on the IMPROVE-IT study as it is meant to show that the combination of a statin plus a cholesterol absorption inhibitor is better than a statin alone.

FORBES: Cholesterol Drug Heart Study Continues, But Will Merck's Vytorin Really IMPROVE-IT?