Merck, Schering-Plough's cholesterol drug combination fails to benefit patients in study

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: AP

NEW YORK - Drug developers Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. said Monday patients with a predisposition to high cholesterol fared no better when taking their cholesterol drug Vytorin than with a high dose of the generic form of Zocor.

The study focused on a group of 720 patients with a rare condition predisposing them to high cholesterol. The patients were given either Vytorin or a high dose of generic Zocor, known as simvastatin. Vytorin itself is a combination of Schering-Plough's Zetia and Merck's Zocor, which lost patent protection in 2006.

Wall Street has been anxiously awaiting details on the study results, with analysts mixed on how equal results in the two study sections would affect Vytorin sales.

Earlier in January, Merck Chief Executive Richard T. Clark said he expected Vytorin to keep a secure position in the cholesterol drug market and cited several other ongoing studies in addition to this one.



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22647253/

[Lance_Boyle]

1. Why is this combination drug on the market and ADVERTISED

years before these studies are completed? Will the pharma-owned docs who have put their commercial-brainwashed patients on Vytorin over the past year or two inform those patients of these results, and that they can get the same benefit from generic simvastatin? Merck and Schering ought to give back every penny over the price of generic simvastatin that they've received for this snake-oil combination pill since they've marketed it prematurely. And oh yeah - someone should slap the FDA for letting the goddamned pharmas get away with it.

[demigoddess]

2. I am royally p*****d at the drug companies. Dr gave me simvastatin for

cholesterol and I took it for 10 days and had a 20 day migraine. when I told the dr this, she was not convinced, probably because the studies are just not done. It finally dawned on me that some studies, slanted though they may be on the name brand drug, but not on generics. My husband and I have been having reactions from many generics and my daughter had a terrible reaction to a generic.

And doctors think you are crazy when you report reactions to these "miracle" drugs.