DENVER A cholesterol-lowering drug made by Merck appears to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiac death in patients with chronic kidney disease, according to results of a new study.

Merck said results of a 9,000-patient clinical study showed that Vytorin (ezetimibe and simvastatin) reduced the risks by 16.1% compared with placebo. Results of the study were presented Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology.

“This is an important study,” Merck Research Labs president Peter Kim said. “Patients with [chronic kidney disease] have a high risk of ischemic vascular disease and increased rates of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events and revascularization procedures.”