Latest
Cholestreol Drugs
& Related Newswire
6/21/2006 2:43:00 PM | Heart drugs might provide birdflu weapon - expert 
=(0) Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Lipitor, are being touted as bird flu remedies by a retired US physician Dr. David Fedson. He says that statins have the effect of reducing inflammation, which might make a case of bird flu milder than it would otherwise be. It might also alleviate the immune system over-reaction (cytokine storm) whic...
Read More
6/21/2006 9:52:00 AM | Statins found to reduce cataract risk =(0) A study to investigate whether cholesterol-lowering drugs had adverse effects on the eyes, has found the opposite: statin drugs seem to reduce the incidence of cataracts, a very common eye condition in the elderly. These drugs, such as Lipitor, lower cholesterol and are used to prevent heart attack and stroke, however they were previously foun...
Read More
6/20/2006 11:30:00 AM | Lower is better for diabetics' bad cholesterol =(0) A study out of the UK suggests that higher doses of cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor may provide benefits to patients who already have heart disease and diabetes. That is, lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol even further than the levels now recommended would protect these patients from stroke or heart attack even more. Lowering the aver...
Read More
6/18/2006 6:39:00 AM | Generic Zocor to challenge Lipitor =(0) June 23, 2006 is the day that the cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor may go generic in the US. Losing patent protection is bad financial news for the maker of the drug but in this case it might also be bad news for Zocor's competitors, as doctors might be inclined to switch patients from Lipitor (for example) to cheaper generic versions of Zocor....
Read More
6/9/2006 2:11:00 PM | Lipitor suits create 'undue concern': Pfizer =(0) Pfizer reacted to the lawsuits recently filed concerning Lipitor by stating that the suits would cause "undue concern" to doctors and patients, and that Lipitor has been used since 1997 with an established safety record. The company asserts that it does publish warnings about the rare side effect that causes muscle pain and weakness, but that ...
Read More
6/8/2006 4:31:00 PM | Lawsuits Filed Over Lipitor Side Effects =(0) Two men are suing drugmaker Pfizer over side effects they claim were caused by the cholesterol-lowering drug, Lipitor. The men attribute their pain, muscle weakness, and memory problems to the drug, and claim that Pfizer did not adequately publicize the risk associated with Lipitor. The company intends to fight the allegations and says th...
Read More
6/5/2006 1:56:00 PM | Hevesi fires firm in Bayer class action =(0) The lead plaintiff in a class action suit against Bayer is replacing the law firm handling the case because of legal action against the law firm itself. Milberg Weiss Bershad & Schulman was recently indicted for alleged wrongdoing involving other clients' lawsuits. The Bayer suit involves the drug Baycol, a cholesterol-lowering medication...
Read More
5/31/2006 7:33:00 AM | Oxford University launches major cardiovascular drug study =(0) A major study run by Oxford University in England is set to begin, which will study the effect on heart disease of a new drug combination. The treatment aims to raise levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL) in the body. This can be accomplished with the vitamin niacin, but with unpleasant side effects (facial flushing) so another new drug has been ...
Read More
5/19/2006 5:19:00 AM | Novartis blood-pressure drug Diovan has wider use, tests show =(0) Diovan (valsartan), a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, has been found to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke according to Novartis, who makes the drug. Studies show that it lowers blood levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), an inflammatory product that is strongly associated with cardiovascular risk. Chole...
Read More
5/17/2006 2:29:00 PM | Popular Supplement Doesn't Reduce High Cholesterol =(0) Policosanol, a natural supplement, was not effective in lowering high cholesterol levels in a recent study. This contradicts previous studies which did show an effect. More research is needed but for now recommendations are for people with dangerously high cholesterol to follow doctor's instructions on lifestyle changes and medication, an...
Read More
5/17/2006 9:12:00 AM | Pfizer's Lipitor Cuts Risk of Repeat Stroke by 16% (Update1) - =(0) Giving Lipitor, the anti-cholesterol drug, to people who have had a stroke but do not have heart disease or high cholesterol, reduces the chance of another stroke, according to new research. Incidence of heart disease was also lower in these patients, compared to a placebo group. While an intriguing development, Lipitor won't be a cure-al...
Read More
4/30/2006 11:43:00 PM | Numbness may occur with statins =(0) Cholesterol lowering drugs known as statins have a rare side effect on the nervous system known as peripheral neuropathy. Symptoms include numbness, tingling or burning sensations on the extremities. Muscle and joint pain is also known to occur. For patients with these side effects, other drugs are available including niacin, WelChol, Tricor a...
Read More
4/26/2006 10:12:00 AM | Health chiefs' grapefruit alert to drug patients =(0) Reminder to those taking certain medications, particularly cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, to avoid grapefruit products. Grapefruit and grapefruit juice interact with the body to slow down metabolism of the medication, with the result that the drug stays in the body longer and has increased risk of side-effects. Those taking certain al...
Read More
4/25/2006 8:46:00 PM | Cholesterol Drug =(0) Now that some of the cholesterol-lowering statin drugs are beginning to appear in generic form, with Pravochol already approved, a move is on to provide them over-the-counter, that is, without prescription. It would make the drugs cheaper and more accessible but the worry is that people would take them without sufficient monitoring and would t...
Read More
4/12/2006 6:16:00 AM | Statins show promise as an aid in controlling heart valve disease =(0) New findings about the causes of heart valve disease may lead to new treatments. Studies show that the valves are damaged by a chronic inflammatory process which causes them to stiffen and even produce cartilage. A high fat diet is just one of the risk factors that leads to this process. Rabbit studies show that treatment with cholesterol...
Read More
3/25/2006 10:56:00 PM | Side Effects are killing me! =(0) Statins and other cholesterol lowering drugs list a high number of side effects that can harm an individual taking the medication. Doctors will often gloss over potential side effects because they are more interested in quick and easy results for their patients.
There are a number of healthy and non-medicinal methods that you can use to treat c...
Read More
3/17/2006 2:57:00 PM | Bayer class action settlement approved for Baycol =(0) A class action lawsuit against Bayer over the defective cholesterol drug Baycol was closed today in a court approved settlement which will reimburse employers, health plans and unions for costs related to the drug. Preliminary approval was granted for the $10 million dollar settlement which brings damages paid by Bayer over the defective drug to ov...
Read More
3/13/2006 1:36:00 PM | New Analysis Showed VYTORIN(R) (ezetimibe/simvastatin) Superior to ... =(0) This paper compares the effectiveness of cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Lipitor. In the disclosure section, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is listed as a rare adverse reaction to simvastatin, one of the active ingredients in Vytorin..........
Read More
3/1/2006 5:41:00 AM | FDA Shields Drug Companies From Lawsuits =(0) The FDA is working to protect drug companies from lawsuits in state courts asserting that if a drug has been approved on a federal level, a state court without the "same scientific knowledge" is not the place for judgement. This announcement follows other actions by the Bush administration aiming to limit the number of lawsuits against drug compani...
Read More