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Vytorin Fraudulent Marketing
| Vytorin Fraudulent Marketing |
| | 101 | 2008-03-16 |
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| Specifically, officials are concerned that, despite results from a study that found Vytorin was no more effective than generic drugs, which are cheaper than Vytorin, Merck and Schering-Plough continued to run an ad campaign claiming that Vytorin was a better product. According to the commercials, Vytorin is effective at treating high cholesterol that is caused both by heredity and diet. The commercials for Vytorin were pulled from the airwaves on January 22, 2008. US Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), says that his staff polled pharmacies in cities throughout New York and found that people were paying much more for Vytorin (sometimes over $100 for 30 pills) than for similar generic drugs, which are reportedly just as effective as Vytorin. (Vytorin, which has been on the market since 2004, is a combination of two drugs — one of the early statin medications, simvastatin (also known as Zocor), made by Merck, and ezetimibe, or Zetia, made by Schering-Plough.) Cuomo is also investigating claims that the companies did not publicly disclose negative findings about Vytorin while still advertising it as a highly effective drug. Merck and Shering-Plough were already under fire because the results of the ENHANCE study, which was completed in 2006, were not released until 21 months after the study was completed. Even then, the results were only released after investigators wrote to the companies demanding an explanation for the delay. On January 14, 2008, the makers announced that, although Vytorin reduced levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), in a group of 750 patients, the medication had little effect on the buildup of plaque in the arteries, which often leads to heart attack and stroke. Furthermore, results from the study showed that Vytorin may even have adverse health consequences in the form of increased plaque buildup in the neck arteries. Patients who used Vytorin, believing it was a superior way to treat high cholesterol, are now investigating the possibility of lawsuits against Merck and Schering-Plough. Merck has previously been sued for concealing and misrepresenting the risks associated with Vioxx. The makers of the cholesterol drug Vytorin are under fire for allegedly making false claims in their marketing campaign. New York Attorney-General Andrew Cuomo is investigating whether Vytorin’s marketing campaign violated the state’s laws regarding false advertising. |
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