“New study questions effectiveness of popular cholesterol drugs”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/15/AR2009111502848.html?wprss=rss_health
Zetia and Vytorin are cholesterol absorption blockers working primarily in the intestines.
Zetia is proven very much so to improve lipids ( i can explain what that means precisely if you need me to) but it HAS BEEN DISAPPOINTING (which is what your link is about) in studies to reduce atherosclerosis of the cardiac muscle arteries...NOT THAT THEY DO NOT REDUCE CHOLESTRAL...they are quite proven to do just that.
and they are tolerated well by folks who need to take them...very few folks cannot tolerate them.
maybe you should ring up Harry Reid and vent all your drug company angst to a sympathetic ear.
I and my large family are grateful God has provided them to help keep me alive. I would disagree with Doc a bit. My cardiologist at Vandy who btw is extremely conservative does not believe that diet and exercise alone can reduce more than mild hyperlipidemia...they advise that as well though.
The Scottish study on pravachol is pretty sound and I can tell you my lipids are incredible...and they need to be...two open hearts in 13 months to correct an intraseptal LAD is not for sissies.
If I recall correctly:
The study compared Vytorin with a combination of Niacin and Statin. Niacin and statin were found effective in lowering cardio vascular diseaase (CVD) whereas the Vytorin was not.
The question that this study brings us is, what are statins doing to prevent CVD other than just lowering cholesterol? Vytorin lowers cholesterol just fine, but is not lowering (CVD). Answering this question will lead to the development of better drugs with lower side effects in the future.