Zetia Legal News Articles & Interviews

Washington, DC: There is little doubt that the cholesterol-fighting drug Zetia (ezetimibe) has travelled a rocky road since it was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002. And while several years have passed since the controversial delay in releasing study results into potential Zetia side effects, issues involving Zetia and its cousin Vytorin (Zetia in combination with a statin) continue to lazily percolate like water at a gentle boil.

Washington, DC The new study on Vytorin may be out, and it may signal good news for its drug maker, but as far back as 2008, there were serious concerns about how Merck and Schering-Plough planned to study potential Vytorin side effects. Concerns were so high that on March 31, 2008, Senator Chuck Grassley sent a letter to Merck and Schering-Plough outlining his worries.

San Diego, CA As more information on a recent Vytorin study is released, Merck has continued to tout the positive findings of that study. Vytorin side effects have been at the heart of Vytorin lawsuits, alleging patients were put at risk of health problems due to their use of the drug.

San Diego, CA The folks at Merck & Co. and their Vytorin partner Schering-Plough Corp. can be forgiven if they are enjoying the re-birth of Vytorin and the accompanying optimism after enduring the scorn that accompanied the delayed release of the ENHANCE study in 2008. The most recent “IMPROVE-IT” study was designed to foster a better outcome, and the study delivered. The future of Vytorin is much rosier. However, questions surrounding Vytorin side effects remain. And many a Vytorin lawsuit stemming from the two-year delay in releasing the ENHANCE results continues to hang over Merck’s head.

Chicago, IL A study released today suggests that Vytorin, a drug that combines Zetia and Zocor, is more effective than Zetia alone at preventing heart attack and other heart-related health problems. The study is good news for Merck, who has been under fire for its handling of Vytorin. But other previous studies gave conflicting results regarding Vytorin’s effectiveness, and there are concerns about the delays in releasing this study, including a switch in primary endpoints, which could affect how positive the results actually are.

Washington, DC Less than a month away is the expected deadline for the medical world to hear the results of a study on Vytorin. The study has been undertaken to add to the published literature about Vytorin side effects and Vytorin effectiveness. So far, at least two studies regarding the drug, which combines ezetimibe (Zetia) and simvastatin (Zocor), have not shown that Vytorin is any more effective than Zocor alone.

Washington, DC Another study is set to be released regarding the effectiveness of Vytorin, a drug that combines ezetimibe (known by the brand name Zetia) and simvastatin (known by the brand name Zocor). Whether the study will confirm previous findings that question the effectiveness of combining Zetia and Zocor is not known. Some previous studies have failed to show that the two drugs combined are more effective than Zocor alone or Zocor and a different statin.

Washington, DC One can’t help but forgive anyone filing a Vytorin lawsuit, due to not only the potential for various harms related to possible Vytorin side effects, but to the very culture that sees drugs such as these approved in the first place.

Washington, DC Even though Liptruzet has only just been introduced on the market, at least one critic is questioning why the drug received approval. Liptruzet is a combination of Lipitor and Zetia, but Steven Nissen, of the Cleveland Clinic, says that because Zetia has not been proven to prevent heart attacks and strokes, approving it in combination with another drug does not make sense.

Halle-Wittenberg, Germany Can a drug designed to curb heart attacks also cause heart attacks in some people? Apparently, it's possible with statins or medication like Zetia when used in combination with a statin. Statins are designed to lower the "bad" cholesterol thought to be a contributing factor for heart attack and stroke, while leaving the so-called "good" cholesterol to do the good work that good cholesterol, ultimately, does.