What You Need To Know About IMPROVE-IT
The IMPROVE-IT trial will be big news when its results are finally presented on November 17 during the annual meeting of the American Heart Association. The results of the trial--underway for nearly a decade-- have been long and eagerly awaited by everyone interested in cardiovascular medicine. The trial could impact the future sales of a key Merck drug, ezetimibe, though because it is nearing the end of its patent life the commercial significance is somewhat limited. However, IMPROVE-IT will also have very important implications beyond its specific eff...
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - November 7, 2014 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Larry Husten Source Type: news
ESC: Evidence Mounts for Injection to Lower LDL-C (CME/CE)
BARCELONA (MedPage Today) -- Four studies testing the injectable novel lipid-lowering agent alirocumab found the drug dramatically reduced LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) among high-risk patients who had not achieved LDL targets using maximum tolerated statin therapy and/or ezetimibe. (Source: MedPage Today Endocrinology)
Source: MedPage Today Endocrinology - August 31, 2014 Category: Endocrinology 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
ENHANCE Study Had Impact on Ezetimibe New Users, StoppagesENHANCE Study Had Impact on Ezetimibe New Users, Stoppages
Three years after the negative ENHANCE trial with ezetimibe, nearly 2% of patients enrolled in a large pharmacy plan were still taking the medication. New users were down, though, and discontinuations were up. Heartwire (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - August 1, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cardiology News Source Type: news
Merck Uses Legal Threats To Stifle Negative Advice About Zetia And Vytorin In Italy
In response to repeated legal threats, a public health doctor in Italy has withdrawn advice to curtail use of a controversial drug. The drug, ezetimibe, is a key ingredient in Zetia and Vytorin, which is manufactured by Merck. The cholesterol-lowering drug has been the subject of fierce controversy because it has never been shown to improve clinical outcomes. Despite the controversy, in 2013 the drugs had combined sales of more than $2.6 billion. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - July 6, 2014 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Larry Husten Source Type: news
High-Potency Statin and Ezetimibe Use and Mortality in AMIHigh-Potency Statin and Ezetimibe Use and Mortality in AMI
Does switching to a high-potency statin improve outcomes for AMI patients? Heart (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - June 24, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cardiology Journal Article Source Type: news
TESLA: Evolocumab Clears Hurdle in Homozygous FHTESLA: Evolocumab Clears Hurdle in Homozygous FH
Added on top of a statin and ezetimibe, evolocumab reduced LDL cholesterol 23% compared with an 8% increase among the placebo-treated patients. Experts hope the drug class can be used for hard-to-treat HoFH patients. Heartwire (Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines - June 2, 2014 Category: Cardiology Tags: Cardiology 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
Statins aren't a wonder drug | Malcolm Kendrick
The claims made for statins are overblown. They are not a cure for most of the major diseases afflicting western civilisationStatins are the most widely prescribed drugs in medical history. They appear to have effortlessly conquered heart disease. If guidance proposed by Nice – the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence – is followed, 15 million people in the UK, most with no history of heart disease, could soon be taking them.A recent study by researchers at Imperial College London made the claim that "statins have virtually no side effects, with users experiencing fewer adverse symptoms than if they had ta...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 23, 2014 Category: Science Authors: Malcolm Kendrick Tags: Comment The Guardian World news Health Health policy Society Drugs UK news Statins Comment is free Source Type: news
Statins aren't a wonder drug | Malcolm Kendrick
This article was corrected on 24 March 2014. It originally said in the eighth paragraph: "Flecainide suppressed dangerous heart arrhythmias, but was pulled from the market for killing thousands of people." This has been amended, as the drug that was pulled from the market was encainide, not flecainide.StatinsDrugsHealthHealth policyMalcolm Kendricktheguardian.com © 2014 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 23, 2014 Category: Science Authors: Malcolm Kendrick Tags: Statins Drugs Health Health policy Society UK news World news The Guardian Comment Comment is free Source Type: news
High potency statins linked to better outcome following heart attack
Treatment with high-potency statins offers a significantly improved chance of survival compared to those taking normal statins, a study concludes after analyzing the data of thousands of patients who suffered heart attacks. The study also found a combination of statins and the drug ezetimibe showed no improved survival rate, although researchers caution this finding needs further testing. (Source: ScienceDaily Headlines)
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - February 20, 2014 Category: Science Source Type: news
Lower-Intensity Statin Combo Therapy Bests High-Dose Monotherapy for LDL — But So What? (FREE)
By Amy Orciari Herman
Combination therapy with a lower-dose statin plus either a bile acid sequestrant or ezetimibe reduces LDL cholesterol better than high-dose statin monotherapy, but long-term clinical benefits remain uncertain, according to a systematic review in … (Source: Physician's First Watch current issue)
Source: Physician's First Watch current issue - February 11, 2014 Category: Primary Care Source Type: news
All Lots of Liptruzet in U.S. Recalled Over Packaging Defect (FREE)
By Larry Husten
All lots of the combination cholesterol-lowering drug Liptruzet (ezetimibe and atorvastatin) in the U.S. are being recalled because a packaging defect could … (Source: Physician's First Watch current issue)
Source: Physician's First Watch current issue - January 15, 2014 Category: Primary Care Source Type: news
Large-scale Cholesterol Drug Recall Announced for LiptruzetLarge-scale Cholesterol Drug Recall Announced for Liptruzet
Merck says it is recalling all lots of the ezetimibe/atorvastatin combination drug in four different doses due to a packaging defect. News Alerts (Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines)
Source: Medscape Cardiology Headlines - January 14, 2014 Category: Cardiology Tags: Cardiology News Alert Source Type: news
Packaging Defect Leads Merck To Recall All Lots of Liptruzet In US
Merck said today that it was recalling all lots of Liptruzet, its combination of the cholesterol-lowering drugs ezetimibe and atorvastatin, in the US. The company said the recall was due to a packaging defect which could potentially allow air and moisture to affect the quality of the drug, though the company said "the likelihood of the packaging defects decreasing the effectiveness of Liptruzet on a patient’s lipid profile or negatively impacting the safety of the product is remote." To date there have been no adverse events or product complaints reported to the company. (Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News)
Source: Forbes.com Healthcare News - January 14, 2014 Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Larry Husten Source Type: news
