Although the cholesterol-lowering drugs Vytorin and Zetia have been largely available to American consumers for as long as six years, new studies released recently and published in the New England Journal of Medicine show that these drugs do not prevent heart disease at all, despite the fact that they do reduce three significant risk factors for heart disease.
Based upon the results of the study, doctors are now urging patients with high cholesterol to return to using statins, which not only reduce the risk factors associated with heart disease but have been proven to work. Drugs such as Lipitor and Crestor have been used to treat high cholesterol for many years and have demonstrated a measurable ability to reduce the symptoms of heart disease.
During the trials, doctors studied 720 adults with extremely high cholesterol levels. The goal of the study was to determine whether Vytorin was superior to other statin drugs at limiting or reducing plaque buildup on artery walls than other drugs. The results of the study showed absolutely no benefit in any cross-section of participants in plaque buildup, even though the drug did achieve its primary goal of reducing LDL cholesterol.
One spokesman for the American Heart Association and a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins University said they expected to see at least some sort of benefit offered by taking the drug.
Integrity of Drug Industry Called Into Question
Many are wondering why the makers of Vytorin and Zetia took nearly two years to release the findings of their study, while they continued to take in an estimated $5 billion in sales, even though there was no clear evidence that the products provided any benefit to its users.
Two separate Congressional panels have launched investigations to try to determine why the pharmaceutical businesses making these drugs waited for so long after the conclusion of their studies to release their findings. New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo also initiated a probe, subpoenaing the makers of both drugs for their records last January.
Many feel that the businesses involved in pharmaceutical manufacturing continued to make substantial profits at the expense of the American consumer. Another drug that had been under consideration for use in lowering cholesterol called torcetrapib, was abandoned because it was proven to raise heart disease risks instead of lowering them. The drug is currently being used to treat menopausal women.
Doctors Should Consider all Options in Treating High Cholesterol
One doctor from Duke University is also a user of Vytorin. He said he uses the drug because it effectively lowers his cholesterol and he cannot tolerate the high level of statins that would otherwise be needed. He urges doctors to consider all of their options when administering treatments for high cholesterol, taking into account the specific needs of the patient and using the drug that is likely to offer them the most benefit. Many doctors seem to prefer Zetia and Vytorin because they do effectively lower cholesterol without producing the side effects many other medications seem to induce. In these instances, total cardiac care should be considered.
