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Vytorin No Better than a High Dose of Zocor
A study that started in 2002, for a concern over the medication’s possibility of casing stomach damage, revealed that Vytorin is no more effective than a high dosage of simvastatin. Simvastatin is the generic form of Zocor.
Zetia and Vytorin increased their sales by 26%, reaching $1.3 billion, this past year. Merck and Schering-Plough split the profits. Both companies experienced a drop in their shares Monday.
The study examined 720 subjects who have heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, a rare condition that predisposes them to high cholesterol. Less than 1 percent of Americans have the condition. The patients were given either Vytorin or a high dose of simvastatin.
Merck & Co and Schering-Plough Corp. will be conduction three more studies with over 20,000 patients to further study the medication.
