News tagged with 'Zocor'

Add pomegranate juice to the list of antioxidant filled juices that should not be consumed by those taking some statins to lower cholesterol, says ABC's medical correspondent.

The sale of prescription drugs appears to be on a decline, partially due to generics and also likely due to a downturn in the economy.  There are no forcasts anytime soon to seeing double-digit profits that the pharmaceutical industry once enjoyed. 

The second major drug company merger in as many months, Merck will acquire Schering-Plough for $41 billion.  Fewer blockbuster drugs, and the promises of healthcare reform are pushing changes in the pharmaceutical industry.  

A review of several studies found that commonly used statin cholesterol drugs do not increase the risk of Lou Gehrig’s disease, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Food and Drug Administrators are reviewing data that suggests a higher rate of cancer in patients taking the cholesterol-lowering drug Vytorin. Patients are advised to continue taking Vytorin because the cancer link is unclear at this time.

Muscle pain affects roughly one out of every 1,000 people taking statins to lower cholesterol.Now British researchers believe they know why - a genetic variation seems to be the basis for muscle pain and myopathy. About two percent of the population carry the two variant genes, which cause roughly 60% of the muscle pain problem.