Doctors leery of cholesterol drugs Vytorin, Zetia after key study
"A lot of us thought that there would be some glimmer of benefit"
Leading doctors urged a return to older, tried-and-true treatments for high cholesterol after hearing full results Sunday of a failed trial of Vytorin.
Millions of Americans already take the drug or one of its components, Zetia. But doctors were stunned to learn that Vytorin failed to improve heart disease even though it worked as intended to reduce three key risk factors.
'People need to turn back to statins,' said Yale University cardiologist Dr. Harlan Krumholz, referring to Lipitor, Crestor and other widely used brands. 'We know that statins are good drugs. We know that they reduce risks.' Read more