"We are very excited about the meeting, there is going to be a lot of very important science presentations and some of them'll transform the way we practice as we are going forward," said cardiologist Marc Shelton, chair of the American College of Cardiology's 57th annual gathering.

The results of dozens of clinical trials will be unveiled during the three-and-a half-day meeting, opening Saturday and expected to draw some 18,000 participants, Shelton told reporters.

Of particular note is a forum on the controversial ENHANCE trial comparing US pharmaceutical giant Merck's anti-cholesterol drug Vytorin with simvastatin, a predecessor from the same group that is now available in a low-cost generic version.

Although the clinical trial was concluded in 2006, Merck and Schering-Plough -- the maker of Zetia, another cholesterol-buster combined with simvastatin to create Vytorin -- waited until January 2008 to release the findings.

They show little apparent difference between Vytorin and simvastatin in patients with very high levels of cholesterol, although the former is five times as expensive as the latter.