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Vytorin Does Not Provide Any Significant Benefit In Slowing Down Clogging Of The Arteries:
On January 14, 2008, Merck and Co, Inc, and Schering-Plough released the results of a drug trial that was intended to prove that by adding Zetia to statin treatment, patients could more effectively lower LDL cholesterol which the companies claim would, in turn, reduce plaque in patient's arteries. But instead, the study showed that the combination of drugs was no more effective than the generic version of Zocor in blocking the fatty arterial plaques that can cause heart attack and stroke, as they led consumers to believe. According to published reports, the two-year drug trial concluded April 2006 but wasn't announced until January 15, 2008. Reports also suggest Merck and Schering-Plough knew the results of the trials but delayed sharing the findings with patients and did not change its marketing approach.
Zetia is a brand-name prescription used to lower LDL levels by decreasing cholesterol absorption in the intestinal tract. Other cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins work in the liver. Zetia was developed by Schering-Plough and jointly marketed by Merck and Shering-Plough, as is Vytorin. Vytorin is the combination of Zetia and Zocor, a statin now available as a generic drug for about one-third of the cost. According to published reports, the two companies promoted Zetia heavily, advertising that by adding it to statin treatment, patients could more effectively lower LDL cholesterol which they claim would, in turn, reduce plaque in patients' arteries. But according to media reports, the companies had prior information that refuted that claim.
Published reports also indicate that Zetia and Vytorin account for combined sales of $1.1 billion during the fourth quarter of 2007. The agreement with Merck and Schering-Plough provided that the companies split profits roughly 50-50. Genetic Zocor costs about $1 per pill as compared to Vytorin, which costs three times as much at $3 per pill.
Thornton & Naumes, LLP is seeking the return of money to purchasers of Vytorin and Zetia, which the study shows are no more effective than the generic form of Zocor.
If you are a Vytorin or Zetia patient and would like more information please contact Marilyn T. McGoldrick, Esq. at mmcgoldrick@tenlaw.com.