Ineffectiveness of Vytorin launches a host of lawsuits
The latest studies of the ineffectiveness of Vytorin and Zetia for reducing arterial plaque and decreasing the risk of heart disease has triggered a host of potential class-action lawsuits in several states. The suits allege that the companies Merck and Schering-Plough misled consumers into thinking the drugs were more effective than generics. Results from their ENHANCE study which ran from October 2002 to April 2006 showed Vytorin didn’t reduce plaque buildup any more than Zocor, which is available as a generic under the name simvastatin for about a third of the cost. Vytorin combines Schering-Plough’s Zetia with Merck’s Zocor. The 720-patient study was meant to show how well Vytorin limited plaque buildup in neck arteries in people whose genes gave them unusually high cholesterol levels. What the study really showed was that Vytorin was no more effective, and perhaps a bit worse, than Zocor alone.
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