According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Vytorin, a heavily-advertised medication used to combat cholesterol, appeared to cause a spike in cancers in a recent European study. The medicine also failed to prevent complications from aortic stenosis, a serious condition in which blood flow to the heart is inhibited. Vytorin, which is jointly marketed by Merck and Schering-Plough, was effective in reducing cholesterol in test subjects, but the study also indicated that it didn't stave off the need for valve-replacement surgery or reduce hospitalization because of heart failure. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Schering-Plough's CEO believes the cancer risk to be a "deviant observation" and not clinically significant. Merck is said to be still assessing the study's impact on the drug's future.