Cholesterol Drugs Vytorin and Zetia May be More Dangerous, Not as Effective, Study Says
Two drugs taken by millions of people to lower cholesterol may not work as well as a rival drug and can increase the risks of heart attacks and other serious health problems, a new study finds.
Zetia and the related drug Vytorin are used to lower so-called bad cholesterol, but they work differently than statins such as Lipitor and Crestor. Zetia lowers cholesterol by blocking it from being absorbed in the gut. Vytorin is a pill that combines Zetia with a statin. Both are marketed by Merck & Co.
Now, a new study finds Zetia did not widen narrowed arteries while the rival drug Niaspan did. Also, patients taking Zetia were slightly more likely to suffer heart attacks compared to Niaspan users, the study found.
Results of the study, which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and set to be presented this week at a conference of the American Heart Association, could lead some physicians to shy away from prescribing Zetia and Vytorin, according to the Associated Press.
“This study provides no evidence that would reassure us that this drug is beneficial, and it provides some evidence that it may be harmful,” said Yale University cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz, according to the AP report.
Study Finds Greater Heart-Problem Risks
For the study, researchers tested 363 patients with heart disease or a high risk for it who had been taking statins for an average of six years. Half of the patients were given Niaspan and half got Zetia. The study was halted in June after 208 participants had been on the medicines for 14 months, because the group given Niaspan was doing much better than those who got Zetia.
The researchers found that Niaspan shrunk buildups in neck arteries by about two percent, but Zetia had no effect on reducing the arterial blockages.
They also found more heart attacks, heart-related deaths, and other cardiac complications among Zetia users (nine cases among 165 patients) compared to those on Niaspan (two cases among 160 patients).
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