USA TODAY - What you should know about Vytorin and Zetia
A controversial study showing that the blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug Vytorin failed to slow the buildup of artery plaques more than a cheaper statin is certain to provoke questions among heart patients taking Vytorin or its sister drug Zetia. USA TODAY medical reporter Steve Sternberg asked Steven Nissen, the Cleveland Clinic’s chief of cardiology, and Roger Blumenthal of the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease and the American College of Cardiology prevention committee, for some answers.
Q: Why was the study controversial?
Related Results
CORRECTIONS/CLARIFICATIONS
WALL STREET CHOICE: BEATING GUIDANCE WITH NEW DRUGS AND LOWER COSTS
Merck and Schering-Plough's statin combo hits pharmacies
New Study Showed VYTORIN Significantly More Effective than Crestor…
Vytorin study raises questions about Cholesterol’s Import
A: The two drugs are among the most widely used of all prescription medicines. Yet, although the drugs have been shown to reduce cholesterol, their manufacturers acknowledge that they’ve never been shown to prevent heart attacks or other life-threatening events. Lipitor and other statin drugs, in contrast, have demonstrated their effectiveness in many studies.
A congressional committee said in December it …
Read the full article with a Free Trial at MyWire.
