News Tagged ‘arterial plaque’

New study shows vytorin and zetia less effective than niacin

niacin2 100x100Vytorin has struck out again, this time in a clinical trial that compared the drug’s safety and efficacy to a prescription form of the B vitamin niacin. The results of the trial, which the New England Journal of Medicine featured in an article and two editorials, were presented Sunday at an American Heart Association meeting and showed that in a direct comparison, niacin worked significantly better than and in reducing arterial blockages. According to a report in NPR, “This study is the third to question whether ezetimibe drugs do what they’re supposed to.”

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Vytorin No. 3 on list of Top 10 medical stories of 2008

Vytorin has come in at the No. 3 spot on a list of the Top 10 Medical Stories of 2008 – and not in a good way. Dr. Kate Scannell, columnist for the Contra Costa Times, which serves the California Bay Area, listed the drug under the header “statin madness.”

Dr. Scannell said the drug made her list as a result of two studies that revealed , which is a combination of simvastatin (Zocor) and ezetimibe (), did not reduce artery-clogging plaque buildup, although tests showed it reduced “bad” levels.

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Suffolk County NY sues for return of Vytorin money

Suffolk County, New York, officials are seeking to recover public funds spent on Vytorin prescriptions for its employees. The county contends that defendants and delayed releasing the results of the ENHANCE trial, which indicated to be ineffective and in some cases inferior in reducing the growth of fatty arterial plaque than generic statins alone. From April 2006 to mid-January of 2008, and withheld the ENHANCE trial results while they continued to aggressively advertise .

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Vytorin scandals evoke mistrust

Is ’s motto, “To Earn Trust, Every Day,” laced with a little irony these days? What about ’s maxim “Where patients come first?” Does it evoke feelings of warmth and trust or does it just induce rolling eyeballs?

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