VYTORIN® (ezetimibe/simvastatin) Significantly Reduced Cardiovascular Events More than Simvastatin Alone in Patients Presenting with Acute Coronary Syndromes in the Investigational IMPROVE-IT Study
Dateline City:
CHICAGO
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE:MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada,
today announced that the investigational IMPROVE-IT study met its
primary and all secondary composite efficacy endpoints.
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English
Contact:
MerckMedia Contact:Pam Eisele, 267-305-3558orInvestor Contact:Joe Romanelli, 908-423-5185
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Source: Merck.com - Product News - November 17, 2014 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Prescription Medicine News Corporate News Latest News Source Type: news
Common cholesterol-fighting drug may prevent hysterectomies in women with uterine fibroids
The cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin inhibits the growth of human uterine fibroid tumors, researchers have discovered for the first time. Statins, such as simvastatin, are commonly prescribed to lower high cholesterol levels. Beyond these well-known cholesterol-lowering abilities, statins also combat certain tumors. Statins have previously been shown to have anti-tumor effects on breast, ovarian, prostate, colon, leukemia and lung cancers. The effect of statins on uterine fibroids was unknown. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - November 13, 2014 Category: Science Source Type: news
Common cholesterol-fighting drug may prevent hysterectomies in women with uterine fibroids
(University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston) Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, in collaboration with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Baylor College of Medicine and the Georgia Regents University, report for the first time that the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin inhibits the growth of human uterine fibroid tumors. These new data are published online and scheduled to appear in the January print edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - November 13, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
Repurposing statins
Neurologists and the MS Society have written to the Telegraph in support of a bill currently before parliament that would make it easier to re-licensed existing drugs for new conditions. Coverage focuses on simvastatin which has been studied in secondary progressive MS, though more research is still required.
Daily Telegraph
Daily Mail
Statins - A to Z of MS (Source: Multiple Sclerosis Trust)
Source: Multiple Sclerosis Trust - November 4, 2014 Category: Neurology Source Type: news
Study shows simvastatin ineffective in the treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)
The results of a large-scale clinical trial of statin treatment in patients with ARDS were published today in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Supported by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) programme, an MRC and NIHR partnership, this four-year research project tested the efficacy of the drug simvastatin in 540 patients with ARDS. ARDS... (Source: NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies News)
Source: NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies News - October 1, 2014 Category: American Health Source Type: news
IMPROVE-IT Trial Scheduled For Presentation In November
Results of the eagerly-awaited and highly controversial IMPROVE-IT trial are finally going to be revealed. The American Heart Association has announced that the trial will be presented by Chris Cannon on November 17 at 11:51 AM (central time) in Chicago at the group's annual scientific sessions . IMPROVE-IT compared the effect on cardiovascular outcomes of the statin simvastatin with Vytorin (the combination of simvastatin and ezetimibe, manufactured by Merck) in more than 18,000 patients with acute coronary syndromes. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - August 12, 2014 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Larry Husten Source Type: news
'More adults should be taking statins,' says NICE
Conclusion
Despite somewhat hysterical media coverage to the contrary ("millions more to be given statins," according to the Daily Express), nobody will be forced to take statins.
If your GP does recommend statins, you should ask them to explain the benefits and risks for you personally of starting statin treatment. You may want to find out more about statins before making up your mind – the NHS Choices Health A-Z information on statins is a good place to start.
If you do experience troublesome side effects while taking statins, contact your GP or the doctor in charge of your care. It could be the case that a...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 18, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication QA articles Source Type: news
Simvastatin Improves Sexual Health QoL in Older Men With EDSimvastatin Improves Sexual Health QoL in Older Men With ED
In a secondary analysis, researchers found that older men with ED who took 40 mg of simvastatin daily realized a significantly improved sexual health-related quality of life. BMC Urology (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - May 26, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Urology Journal Article Source Type: news
Statins Don't Live Up to Hopes in Treatment of COPD or ARDSStatins Don't Live Up to Hopes in Treatment of COPD or ARDS
Simvastatin does not reduce COPD exacerbations according to a prospective study. This finding is in contrast to results from retrospective studies of statins. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)
Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines - May 19, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pulmonary Medicine News Source Type: news
Scientists reveal structural secrets of enzyme used to make popular anti-cholesterol drug
(University of California - Los Angeles) The cholesterol-lowering statin simvastatin, first marketed as Zocor, has generated billions of dollars in annual sales. UCLA scientists discovered in 2011 that a mutated enzyme could help produce the much sought-after pharmaceutical far more efficiently than the chemical process that had been used for years -- and do it better than the natural, non-mutated version of the enzyme. But no one quite knew why, until another team of UCLA researchers cracked the mystery. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - May 13, 2014 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news
STASH: No Effect of Simvastatin in SAH STASH: No Effect of Simvastatin in SAH
Improvements in surgical and intensive care management of subarachnoid hemorrhage appear to be leading to a limited role for pharmaceutical approaches, the study lead investigator suggests. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Neurology and Neurosurgery Headlines)
Source: Medscape Neurology and Neurosurgery Headlines - May 9, 2014 Category: Neurology Tags: Neurology & Neurosurgery News Source Type: news
LDL-Lowering Does Not Halt Progression of CKD: SHARPLDL-Lowering Does Not Halt Progression of CKD: SHARP
Lowering LDL cholesterol by 37.1 mg/dL with a combination of simvastatin and ezetimibe failed to halt the progression of kidney disease to end-stage renal disease in patients with chronic kidney disease. Heartwire (Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines - May 1, 2014 Category: Cardiology Tags: Cardiology News Source Type: news
Do two dissimilar cases represent a case series?
2 out of 5 stars
High-dose Insulin and Intravenous Lipid Emulsion Therapy for Cardiogenic Shock Induced by Intentional Calcium-Channel Blocker and Beta-Blocker Overdose: A Case Series. Doepker B et al. J Emerg Med 2014 Apr;46:486-490.
Abstract
The problems with this confused and confusing paper start with the title, which suggests that it will describe a series patients who presented with overdose of a calcium-channel blocker (CCB) and beta-blocker (BB), who were treated with high-dose insulin (HDI) and intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE).
Well, this may be a case series, but the series includes only 2 patients, and ...
Source: The Poison Review - April 3, 2014 Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical beta blocker overdose calcium channel blocker overdose high-dose insulin intralipid intravenous fat emulsion Source Type: news
No proof Earl Grey can fight heart disease
Conclusion
This animal experiment indicated that the bergamot extract HMGF may have cholesterol-lowering effects similar to that of the commonly used statin, simvastatin, when given to mice with high cholesterol levels that were fed high cholesterol diets for three weeks.
The main limitation of the study was that none of the research involved humans. Therefore, it is not possible to say the bergamot extract would work the same way in humans, unless directly tested. Furthermore, this rat study tested a pure extract rather than tea containing the extract, the effects of which may be different. For instance, taking milk in te...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 1, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication Food/diet Source Type: news
MS-STAT Published: Simvastatin Benefits SPMS MS-STAT Published: Simvastatin Benefits SPMS
The drug was associated with a sizable reduction in brain atrophy and a small but significant slowing of disability in this phase 2 study of secondary progressive MS. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - March 20, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology & Neurosurgery News Source Type: news
