Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Global sales of Vytorin fell 18 percent, while sales of Zetia dropped by 12 percent in the third quarter. The loss of sales revenue from the two drugs, combined with difficult economic conditions worldwide, have led drug maker Merck to announce that it will cut its workforce by 12 percent.

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Clinical trials haven’t been kind to Vytorin, Merck and Schering-Plough’s cholesterol brainchild. The first blow was dealt by the ENHANCE study, which showed Vytorin to be no more effective than much cheaper generic statins. Next came results of the SEAS trial, which indicated a link between Vytorin and risk of cancer and death by cancer. A flurry of disputed interpretations, accusations, and controversy followed in the wake of the trials.

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Should municipalities be allowed to reclaim the money it spent on expensive prescriptions if the prescribed drug turns out to be a dud? For the city of New Haven, CT, the answer is yes. According to a report in the New Haven Independent , the city’s top lawyer, John Ward, wants more than $400,000 back from Vytorin manufacturers Merck and Schering-Plough.

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Following Vytorin’s recent fall from its blockbuster status, Merck is ratcheting up studies of its new cholesterol fighting drug, The Washington Times reported.

MK-0524A, as the new drug is called, is the subject of a study based in Oxford University in England. Merck submitted the drug to the FDA for approval, but it was rejected last April. The FDA wanted results from the study known as THRIVE (Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events) before it made another ruling.

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Does Vytorin increase the risk of cancer death? The question seems like it would be simple to answer, yet finding the answer requires navigating through a murky labyrinth of botched test results, apparent cover-ups, possible payoffs, and a whorl of conflicting interpretations that sometimes resemble self-interest, sometimes truth, depending on whom you ask.

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Is Schering-Plough’s motto, “To Earn Trust, Every Day,” laced with a little irony these days? What about Merck’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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