Lowering Cholesterol: Niacin Works, Mercks Zetia Does Not
A new study confirms Niacin's cholesterol lowering ability and the uselessness of Mercks drug Zetia.
BioScienceTechnology | Marilynn Marchione | A new study raises fresh concerns about Zetia and its cousin, Vytorin — drugs that are still taken by millions of people to lower cholesterol, despite questions raised last year about how well they work.
In the study, Zetia, the brand name for ezetimibe, failed to shrink buildups in artery walls while a rival drug, Niaspan, generically known as niacin, did so significantly. Zetia users also suffered more heart attacks and other problems although the numbers of these events are too small to draw firm conclusions.
Vytorin is a pill that combines Zetia with a statin, simvastatin.
Zetia "has been on the market for about seven years and we still haven't proven that it improves clinical outcomes," said Dr. Roger Blumenthal, preventive cardiology chief at Johns Hopkins University. The new results will be "very influential" in getting more doctors to turn to Niaspan, he said.
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