(Canadian Press) -- Drugmaker Merck says it is suspending its sale of the cholesterol drug Tredaptive and is telling doctors to quit prescribing the medicine.

Tredaptive is available in about 70 countries, including Europe. The drug is not approved in the United States.

Merck last month said initial results from a late-stage study showed that adding Tredaptive to traditional statin therapy did not lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and related problems.

Results also showed that patients taking the cholesterol combination pill were more likely to suffer some serious, non-fatal adverse events.

Merck says it made its decision based in part on a European Medicine Agency committee recommendation.

Merck has advised patients to quit taking the drug only after talking to a physician.

(c) The Canadian Press, 2013