A small study published in The New England Journal of Medicine compared the effectiveness of two drugs used in combination with a statin (Simvastatin or Atorvastatin) to control cholesterol levels. The participants were randomly assigned into two groups, one group took Abbott Laboratories extended-release niacin, the other was given Merck and Schering-Plough’s ezetimibe (Zetia). The 14-month study found using niacin to be superior to ezetimibe. Patients taking niacin increased their HDL levels by 18.4%, decreased their LDL significantly...