Comments on: Zetia & Vytorin: how Merck got patients to spend $21 billion on drugs that don’t work

By: Adina Kutnicki

Adina Kutnicki — Fri, 24 Nov 2017 05:14:43 +0000

[…] …how shocking was it to find out from a Doc – one who is up close and personal – that ZETIA (hawked by behemoths Merck and Schering-Plough) is still going strong, despite ALL the evidence… […]

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By: Trustworthy

Trustworthy — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:37:42 +0000

The imaging study was flawed. it looked at a patient population who had been treated with the highest doses of statins for years. The prevailing dogma in cholesterol is that “lower is better.” The abundance of data supporting that dogma shows that how you get your LDL lower doesn’t matter, it’s the very nature of lowering your LDL that matters. Now if that is wrong, then perhaps this article is correct, but if the true outcomes trial shows that, in fact, lowering with cholesterol reduces heart attacks and strokes then rants like this article are nothing more than shouting “fire” in a crowded theater.

Remember that, just like pharma companies, top doctors and top hospitals are in business as well. Their motives shouldn’t be assumed to be benevolent. For example, let’s say a pharma company promised to do a large (and highly profitable) clinical trial with a hospital and backed out… how would those doctors speak publicly about that pharma company and its products?

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By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 20:20:02 +0000

It works perfect for me.

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By: Highway

Highway — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:14:40 +0000

“Another artery study in March 2008 found that Zetia was no better than a placebo.”

So what reason would doctors have after March 2008 to keep prescribing Zetia if it’s “no better than a placebo”? ?!?!?!

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By: S. Gater

S. Gater — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:43:04 +0000

“…In fact, the drugs are on track to do $4 billion in combined sales this year, despite multiple studies suggesting they fail to prevent clogged arteries….”

And yet doctors are still prescribing these drugs? This shows the pervasive power Big Pharma must have on the medical profession. What’s going on here?

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By: J. Worne

J. Worne — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:21:05 +0000

Outraged, I’m with you.

But I’m not expecting a favorable response from my doctor when I bring a copy of this article and other background ammunition to request an Rx change. Based on past “conversations” with him, whenever I do my homework and actually research data that impacts my own health (instead of just buying the drug rep’s sales line as he seems to do) he gets quite defensive. But my health is too important to let his hurt feelings stop me.

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By: Ewok

Ewok — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 02:07:53 +0000

Carolyn – thanks for this. This is a scathing indictment of not only these drugs but also the entire process of marketing these to helpless and innocent patients.

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By: Outraged

Outraged — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:36:36 +0000

I will be asking my physician about my Vytorin prescription first thing tomorrow morning, along with copies of this article and links to these journal articles. Thank you for sharing this important information with us.

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