Posts Tagged ‘ Merck ’

Musing about Merck, Zetia and Gardasil

November 15th, 2009. By AbiK

So you caught the news recently that Merck’s Gardasil was approved by the FDA for use in boys ages 9 to 26. No one really expects much from this news—ie, doctors aren’t expected to be offering it to their male patients (or their parents as the case may be). But I find it interesting none the less.

First, the background…Gardasil is the vaccine that’s supposed immunize young girls (ages 9 – 26) from the HPV virus—aka, human papillomavirus, the sexually transmitted one that can lead to cervical cancer. There’s a lot of heated debate on Gardasil in girls–we’ve blogged on it as well–and the New York Times recently reported that in order to be effectively immunized with Gardasil, it requires a series of three injections, each costing $130 (translation, around $400; translation, it ain’t cheap). 

But now let’s just take a look at that NYT report again. I read on through the whole article…la Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Gardasil, Merck, Niaspan, Vytorin, Zetia
Posted in Drugs/Medical | No Comments »

Merck in the Middle of Statin Drug Soap Opera

November 9th, 2009. By AbiK

The latest flurry of statin drug-related news could substitute for your afternoon t.v. soap fix—except there’s a very real-life drama being played out. It’s full of intrigue and false promises. Who knew that the anti-cholesterol drug market could offer so much, and yet so little at the same time?

Here’s the topline history to get you up to speed—just in case you’ve missed the last couple of months’ news on drugs like Vytorin, Zetia and Lipitor…

Zetia + Simvastatin (aka Zocor) = Vytorin 

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Vytorin + Zetia = Class Action Settlement

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Zetia + Atorvastatin (aka Lipitor) = Refused by FDA = Bad News for Merck

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Vytorin + Arbiter 6 Study (due 11/16) = Expected Bad News for Merck 

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Niaspan + Arbiter 6 Study = Expected Good News for Abbott Labs 

So what’s the deal with this Arbiter 6 thing? It’s the clinical study that was conducted—and whose results are hotly anticipated at the American Heart Association (AHA) annual scientific meeting in Orlando on November 16th—to review the efficacy of cholesterol drugs Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Arbiter 6, Merck, statins, Vytorin, Zetia
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 3 Comments »

Vytorin Zetia Settlement…What’s in it for You?

November 6th, 2009. By AbiK

LawyersAndSettlements.com reported a while ago (Aug. 5^th precisely) about the proposed class action settlement in the Vytorin-Zetia case against Merck and Schering-Plough. 

At the heart of this case are claims that Vytorin and Zetia were marketed as being more effective than other anti-cholesteral drugs on the market (namely, those drugs in the class known as statins)—and that Vytorin and Zetia were sold at higher prices even though there wasn’t really evidence that they were more effective than less-expensive anti-cholesterol drugs. 

For consumers—aka the “Consumer Class” of the Vytorin/Zetia settlement, it means that if you were taking either of these drugs and either paid or were obligated to pay for them between November 1, 2002 and September 17, 2009, you may be eligible to participate in this settlement. Translation: you may be able to get some money back on your purchases as a result of this settlement. 

How much money?—it’s the number one question we always get about settlements. Well, as Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Cholesterol, Merck, Vytorin, Zetia
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Settlement | 36 Comments »