FDA reviewing Vytorin cholesterol drug

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22847409/



FDA can spend all the time and resources to review anything. They wont get anything right. FDA is the gold Standard which a drug company has to meet. Once they meet the drug is in market, they flood the doctors with their reps who start prescribing irrespective of cost benefit analysis. The concept of indications, patents and generics has caused PHARMA to push limits of ethics and sell their drug. If this study was released 6 months ago , thats 6 months of revenue lost. I can understand why they didnot release the study. If they can drop the pretense of these unbiased studies and let market forces compete.

In terms of benefit, most average people do not need VYTORIN or aggresive lowering of LDL " bad cholesterol " . High risk patients may benefit from aggresive lowering of LDL. Crestor alone can beat Vytorin results in most cases.

VYTORIN is sort of like IPHONE. It's a luxury you probably dont need and may cause accidents since it has more bells and whistles. Probably generic Zocor is enough for most people. If there was free market in medicine, you would see makers of Crestor, Lipitor and Vytorin compete for Individual's health care dollars instead of this convoluted drug companies putting out favorable studies only and providing selective information and cutting deals with third-party insurers to get their drug on Formulary or lower tier and offer coupons for co-pays.

In the meantime, we have these reviews by FDA and Pharma lawyers telling us whats good for us and what drug should be pulled off the market and what warning on drug labels and we will pay insurance premiums and fight with Insurers to pay for drugs based on Corporate deals.

Let organizations like AHA, ACC and AACE review every study and put out opinions or recommendations like Consumer reports or CNET and consumers can make choices with help of physicians.