Heart drugs Zetia and Vytorin has finally passed the trials and cleared all the stumbling blocks coming their way to become the best cholesterol lowering medication as a new study has certified its effectiveness to treat the health condition.
While announcing the findings of the major study, the researchers said that these pills modestly lowered the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems among the high risk groups. The previous studies lacked this evidence.
Lowering of LDL or bad cholesterol is believed to be the key to the prevention of heart-related diseases. Doctors usually recommend statins like Crestor, Lipitor and Zocor as the main medicines to treat the health condition. They have also got backing of many research works for their effectiveness to treat the heart problem.
Merck & Co.’s Ezetimibe, which went on sale in the year 2002, was sold as Zetia and its combo pill with Zocor was sold as Vytorin. The drug is known for lowering cholesterol levels in a different way.
Ezetimibe has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for lowering LDL or bad cholestrol, but some clinical studies raised doubts against the drug while questioning its effectiveness in preventing heart attacks and strokes. One of the studies even argued it for raising the risk of developing cancer.
According to the new study, when those who were at higher risk of heart problems took Vytorin for as long as seven years, they were found to have cut their risk of suffering heart related trouble by six percent. Moreover, those who took the drug most faithfully reduced their risk by eight percent as compared to those who took just Zocor. Vytorin was also proved safe for these people.
“We’ve answered all the questions. Now we know that with this different way of lowering cholesterol, you can in fact prevent heart attacks and strokes,” said Dr. Christopher Canno, one of the study leaders from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Canno further added that this is for the first time when something added to statins has been proved beneficial.
The findings of the study were presented today at the conference of the American Heart Association in Chicago.
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