Zocor, Simvastatin News

British researchers have discovered a genetic variant that causes some people who take cholesterol-lowering statins to have the muscle weakness called myopathy.

Scientists may have found a way to test for and possibly avoid the most serious side effect of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, one of the top-selling medicines in the world.

Study results show the effects of the combination cholesterol-lowering medicine ezetimibe and simvastatin on aortic stenosis and coronary heart disease in 1873 patients.

Schering-Plough Corp. said profit fell 19 percent as new products and job cuts failed to offset falling sales of cholesterol pills Zetia and Vytorin.

The ever-controversial cholesterol drug Vytorin apparently does not lower the risk of major heart valve problems, according to a report released Monday afternoon by its manufacturers, Schering-Plough Corp.

Major pharmaceutical companies are expected to roll out higher second-quarter earnings reports next week, helped partly by strong overseas sales stoked by a weak U.S. dollar.

Aortic stenosis is a relatively common disease among older people in Western populations.

LONDON, July 21 /CNW/ - The University of Oxford Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit proposed that the hypothesis-generating results of the SEAS trial of ezetimibe should be tested by ...

Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. postponed the release of their second-quarter results until after the bell Monday, citing the impending update on a study of whether their Vytorin cholesterol drug reduces ...

Published: Sunday, July 20, 2008 at 4:01 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, July 20, 2008 at 7:47 a.m. Over the last several months, a controversy has been brewing about certain cholesterol medications.

St. Petersburg, Florida--New research finds the combination of two supplements and a healthy lifesytle can cut down on bad cholesterol as effectively as a statin drug, Zocor.

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A regimen of supplements and lifestyle coaching is just as effective as statin medication for reducing levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or "bad" cholesterol, and more effective in helping people lose weight, new research shows.

People with high cholesterol who took red yeast rice and fish oil daily and received counseling on diet, exercise and relaxation techniques showed the same 40 percent drop in LDL cholesterol seen among people taking 40 milligrams of simvastatin daily, Dr. David J. Becker of the University of Pennsylvania Health System's Chestnut Hill Hospital and colleagues found. And they pared off an average of 10 pounds over 12 weeks, compared to less than a pound for patients taking the statin.

Dear Dr. Donohue: I have a 40-year-old son who is 157 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall.

Context Neurofibromatosis type 1 is among the most common genetic disorders that cause learning disabilities.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am a healthy Chinese lady. I have a 40-year-old son who is 157 pounds and 5 feet 10 inches tall.

Simvastatin Stimulates Chondrogenic Phenotype of Intervertebral Disc Cells Partially Through BMP-2 Pathway.

New evidence suggests that a cholesterol-lowering drug widely prescribed for adults may not help children with a fairly common genetic disorder.

One form of statins, the cholesterol fighter that is the world's top selling drug, does not appear to help children overcome a common, genetically linked learning disability, researchers said on Tuesday.

Does a failed trial of Pfizer 's cholesterol-lowering pill Lipitor make the rival drug Vytorin look better by comparison? No, say several top cardiologists.

European drugmakers traded higher for a third straight session Wednesday, with U.S.-listed shares of Novo Nordisk A/S gaining the most.