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. and Merck & Co.
Vytorin is a prescription pill containing two cholesterol-lowering medications, Zetia (ezetimibe) plus Zocor (simvastatin).
"In a multi-county study of 1,873 patients, the drug was no better than placebo at lowering the odds of major cardiovascular events in patients suffering from aortic stenosis, a condition involving blocked blood flow to the heart," HealthDay reported.
The drug also didn't meet a secondary goal of reducing atherosclerotic disease in the most recent trial called SEAS.
This news comes off of the heals of a two-year trial reported in January of this year, called Enhance, which showed that the pace at which artery-clogging plaques formed within vessels almost doubled in patients taking Vytorin, compared to those taking Zocor alone, HealthDay reported.
All in all, this is another (perhaps final) blow to the already-struggling drug.
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More on Vytorin:
Vytorin Crash and Burn? Is Cholesterol Dead?
Vytorin: Three Things You Need to Know
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