Why Did Vytorin Cut Cholesterol but Not Plaque?
By Daniel J. DeNoon WebMD Health News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD Jan. 25, 2008 — The FDA says it will explore the medical mystery of why Vytorin cuts cholesterol but doesn’t seem to reduce plaque in the arteries. Vytorin is a combination of two different types of cholesterol-lowering drugs: Zetia, which blocks cholesterol absorption in the gut, and Zocor, one of the statin drugs that slows cholesterol production. Other statins include Crestor, Lescol, Lipitor, Mevacor, and Pravachol. Zetia increases the cholesterol-lowering effects of statins. But preliminary results of a study by the companies that make and sell Vytorin were surprising. As expected, patients who took Vytorin had lower levels of bad LDL cholesterol than did patients who took Zocor alone. But Vytorin patients did not have any less plaque in their arteries than those who took Zocor. In fact, they had slightly more. That mystery is troubling to the FDA. Because lower LDL cholesterol is strongly linked to lower risk of
