Vytorin Class Action Lawsuits Mount as Justice Deptartment Investigates
Published: November 5th, 2008 • Comments: 14
Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. currently face around 140 Vytorin class action lawsuits involving their once-popular cholesterol drug, which has been shown to provide no medical benefits over cheaper generic alternatives. In addition, this week the drug makers disclosed that the U.S. Department of Justice is now investigating their marketing of the medication.
Vytorin is a combination of ezetimibe (Zetia) and simvastatin (Zocor). The anti-cholesterol drug was approved by the FDA in 2004 and heavily marketed as part of a joint venture between Merck and Schering-Plough.
One component of Vytorin is Zocor, which blocks an enzyme necessary for cholesterol production in the body, and the other component is Zetia, which inhibits intestinal absorption of cholesterol and decreases its delivery to the liver.
Vytorin was marketed as being more effective than the stand-alone drugs and was meant to provide better protection against heart attacks by reducing the buildup of plaque in the inner walls of arteries. The drug lowers total cholesterol as well as ‘bad‘ LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, while the level of ‘good’ HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol is increased.
In January 2008, after months of delaying and stalling, the drug makers released data from a study that demonstrated Vytorin provides no significant medical benefits over taking Zocor alone, which is available as a generic at one-third the cost of the combination drug.
In July 2008, concerns emerged about a possible risk of cancer with Vytorin after data from a study known as SEAS found an increased incidence of cancer among Vytorin users. While the drug makers initially dismissed the findings as likely attributed to chance, an editorial published in the New England Journal of Medicine has indicated that it is too early to rule out the possible Vytorin cancer connection.
Vytorin lawsuits have been filed against Merck and Schering-Plough involving consumer fraud actions for selling a medication which provides no benefits, cases alleging personal injuries caused by the drug and claims to establish medical monitoring for users who were given the drug.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Monday, Merck disclosed that the companies are also now facing an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, who is looking into whether the drug makers’ promotion of Vytorin involved making false claims to federal health care programs, such as Medicare.
This could potentially result in the companies paying millions, or even billions, of dollars back to the government for prescription expenses spent on the drug.
Comment by Sharon on 15 November 2008:
I took Vytorin from Nov 07 until June 07 when my liver enzymes were over 2,000. After two biopsies, it was determinined I have autoimmune hepatitis “likely triggered by exposure to Vytorin”. My doctor is at the University Hospitals in Iowa City. I now have chronic liver damage and am on Azathioprine daily, possibly for live.
Comment by Sheila on 27 February 2009:
I was on Vytorin from Aug 06 till fall of 08. Shortly after being on Vytorin, my legs, hips and back began to ache. My knees or the muscles all around them followed shortly. I still hurt. Climbing steps is hard. My blood work indicated damage from statins so my doctor took me off the drug in the fall of 08. I’m on pain meds and it is the only way that I can move semi ok. previous to this issue had no problem with movement.
Comment by Gail on 14 March 2009:
My husband suffered for years with gastrointestional problems. The problems started with the diagnosis of diverticulitis which required emergency surgery and two additionl surgeries (reversal of a colostomy and repair of of large abdominal hernia). Around the same time my husband was switched from Zocar to Vytorin. After all the surgeries, my husband continued to have gastrointestional problems which we thought were related to all the recent surgeries. During this time, he was diagnosed with Colitis. Then the controversy started around Vytorin. My husband took this information to his primary doctor and requested to be taken off of it. Once he stopped the Vytorin, his pain and diarrhia stopped immediately. I can’t even begin to explain here the years of suffering he underwent, plus the expense
Comment by Virginia on 14 March 2009:
I had non-hodkins lymphoma in 1980. I started taking vytorin i think in 2005 and I am still taking it. In april of 2007 my nh lymphoma was back. The doctors were surprised that it had reoccured after 27 years of remission. I did a year of chemo and now doing 2 years of maintance chemo. I just read about possible link between vytorin and cancer and now I am wondering if the vytorin caused my lymphoma to return? I am not going to take it untill I talk to my doctors.
Pingback by Zetia and Vytorin Side Effects Not Linked to Cancer According to Study - AboutLawsuits.com on 30 March 2009:
[...] and Schering-Plough currently face Vytorin class action lawsuits which allege that the drug provides no additional medical benefits over cheaper alternatives. In [...]
Comment by Becky on 2 August 2009:
I have taken vytorin for a year and last week my doctor took me off the medication. I am suffering with back pain, leg pain that makes my leg feel numb at times, I can’t stand or walk for long periods of time. Getting up from sitting down for long periods hurts.
Comment by INEZ on 4 November 2009:
I HAVE BEEN ON VYTORIN FOR YEARS AND I SUFFER WITH A LOT OF PAIN IN MY LEGS
Comment by arleen on 5 November 2009:
i have had severe cramps in my thighs feet ,every where,in my neck. all my muscles are weak. i took vitorin for at least two or three years. took my self off. now i am on crestor
Comment by amanda on 8 November 2009:
I HAVE TAKEN VYTORIN FOR OVER A YEAR. APPROX, 8 MONTHS AGO MY DOCTOR CALL MY DAUGTHER AND TOLD HER TO TELL ME
TO STOP TAKEN THE VYTORIN DRUG IMMEDITIATELY. I HAD WENT
DOWN HILL AFTER HAVING SPINAL STENOSIS SURGERY WHICH I
THROUG WAS CAUSING THE UNEXPLAIN SEVERE BACK PAIN LOSS
OF COMPLETE MOBILITY, SEVERE MUSCLE WEAKNESS AND LOSS
OFF ABILITY TO DO ANYFUNCTION, SO MY DOCTOR HAD ORDER
SOME TEST WHICH SHOWED MY CK LEVEL 2400 AFTER BEING OFF FOR 3 MONTHS WENT DOWN TO 300 LONG STORY OF ALL THE CHANGES IWENT THROUGH IN MY BODY IT WAS TERRIBLE .
Comment by James on 8 November 2009:
Since 2001 after my heart attach I was on Zocor and Zetia after about 2 or 3 years of that I went on Vytorin I am still on it today. Just like one of the comments made I also have pain in my legs and feet, but I am also diabetic.
Comment by melissa on 15 November 2009:
I took vytorin1/06 until I started having mucle crampsand pain in one of my legs,I took zetia 1/08 until Istarted having muscle crampsand pain in the some place as before. I am still having muscle crampsand pain in that same place at different times.
Comment by nathaniel on 16 November 2009:
i was diagnosed with high cholesterol about 3 years ago.my doctor put me on vytorin after i got a physical from him.a few months later i noticed my nose would bleed for no reason and i started having a lot of back pains for no reason.i went back to my doctor for a checkup and blood work.he told me my liver panels were way out of whack and that he was taking me off of vytorin.he told me the side effects of the medicine was damaging my liver.
Comment by cindy on 20 November 2009:
I had taken vitorin and then the more I exercised the more pain I had in my muscles. I stopped the medicine but continued with pain and muscle fatigue. went to doctors and was sick for 3 years until I got somewhat better. I just had unexplained chronic pain. I still have serious pain in my legs.
Comment by Beth on 2 March 2010:
I started taking Vytorin 10/40 June 2009 and in Aug of 2009 ended up hospitalized for acute pancreatitis..was otherwise a healthy person with no history of any gastro problems. Of course I stopped taking Vytorin and was curious why I got pancreatitis so I did some research and found out months later taking vytorin can cause pancreatitis.