Ray D. Strand
See book keywords and concepts |  The Simvastatin (Zocor) and Niacin Study involved 160 patients with elevated cholesterol levels and hardening of the arteries who were assigned to one of four groups:
Group 1 was the control group and so received nothing Group 2 received zocor and niacin
Group 3 received vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, and beta-carotene. Group 4 received zocor, niacin, vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, and beta-carotene.
Group 2 did the best and actually showed some minor reversal of the hardening of their arteries. The antioxidant group (Group 3) was the next best with significant improvement. |
Melody Petersen
See book keywords and concepts |  Again and again the studies paid for by Bayer failed to prove that Baycol was better at reducing cholesterol than other drugs being sold, including one promoted by Merck called zocor.
"This paper will not be published," wrote members of a corporate committee responsible for managing the publication of scientific data about Baycol in July 1997. The study the executives were referring to was known as SN-120. They explained that Bayer executives working in the United States "did not want to publish this data" because it showed that zocor was more effective than Baycol. |
Ray D. Strand
See book keywords and concepts | | Group 4 received zocor, niacin, vitamin E, vitamin C, selenium, and beta-carotene.
Group 2 did the best and actually showed some minor reversal of the hardening of their arteries. The antioxidant group (Group 3) was the next best with significant improvement. But Group 4, which received a combination of zocor and antioxidants, did not see as much of a rise in their HDL (good) cholesterol. This finding was a marginal finding and was not statistically significant. |
Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  Here are some facts on Zocor:
The Merck study on zocor contradicts years of studies on very similar drugs which showed no benefit. The study was only done on people who already had heart disease, so it showed nothing about Zocor's ability to protect healthy people by lowering their cholesterol. Although "cardiac events" were reduced in women taking zocor, compared to a placebo, mortality (death rate) was not reduced. The effect of the drug on people over the age of 60 was very reduced, and yet the majority of people likely to be prescribed the drug are over 60.
What Do They Do in the Body? |
Earl L. Mindell, RPh, PhD with Virginia Hopkins, MA
See book keywords and concepts | | The zocor Story
Here's a story about zocor, but it could probably apply to any of the statins, which have more similarities than differences. Consider this a cautionary tale that could apply to any drug.
A couple of years ago, newspaper headlines trumpeted the results of a five-year study on a drug called zocor showing that the drug reduced death from heart disease and other causes by lowering cholesterol. Reading the headlines and listening to the news reports, you'd have thought everyone in America should be taking this drug. The study was paid for by Merck, the maker of the drug. | | The Merck study on zocor contradicts years of studies on very similar drugs that showed no benefit. The study was done only on people who already had heart disease, so it showed nothing about Zocor's ability to protect healthy people by lowering their cholesterol. Although "cardiac events" were reduced in women taking zocor, compared to a placebo, mortality (death rate) was not reduced. The effect of the drug on people over the age of 60 was very reduced, and yet the majority of people likely to be prescribed the drug are over 60.
What Do They Do in the Body? |
Craig Pepin-Donat
See book keywords and concepts |  A partial list of the best-selling drugs for 2005 compiled by IMS Health includes Lipitor, zocor, Nexium, Prevacid, Plavix and Zoloft, all of which advertise on TV.
There is no question that pharmaceutical companies spend large sums of money on research and development (R&D), which exceeds that of DTC advertising.20 The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) argues that DTC spending compared to R&D spending is approximately ten percent, which is in line with other industries. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
See book keywords and concepts |  Add to that the fact that "reducing cholesterol" has become a multi-, multibillion dollar business (Lipitor and zocor, the number-one and number-five, respectively, top-selling drugs of 2005, did a combined total of more than $18 billion in sales)—there are some pretty serious stakes in keeping the idea that cholesterol "causes" heart disease alive.
This is not the place to debate the cholesterol issue. (Those wanting to look into it further should Google Uffe Ravnskov, M.D., Ph.D., check out his website, www.thincs. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts |  A new study (October 2007), announced by the media, found that fat soluble statins, such zocor and Pravachol can cause sleep deprivation, resulting in obesity and mental disturbances. Fine motor skills can be affected and cognitive functions decline. Memory loss is not uncommon. Usually, when patients discontinue taking the statins, the symptoms weaken or disappear. | | The statin drugs that doctors use to push cholesterol levels down are LIPITOR (atorvastatin), zocor (simvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), and Pravachol (pravastatin). If you decide to follow your doctor's advice and take one of these drugs, make certain to read the list of side effects so that you know the risks you are taking.
If you want to obtain objective and untainted information on cholesterol, agencies like the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Cardiology are certainly not the places from which to obtain it. |
Jacky Law
See book keywords and concepts |  The Department of Health encourages all men over the age of 55 to take zocor for life. If they have any risk factors for heart disease, they should start at 45. Women, meanwhile, should start at 55 if they have at least one risk factor. The guidance is reinforced by pharmacists telling them that, in trials those taking zocor can reduce their risk of a heart attack by 25-30%.
When 7 million potential customers are asked to pay, reasonable questions arise about what they are paying for. |
Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.
See book keywords and concepts |  In 2005, the two top-selling drugs on Forbes magazine's list of pharmaceutical juggernauts were Lipitor and zocor, both cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. Together, they did a combined business of more than $13 billion. It's worth noting that many researchers believe that the good that statin drugs accomplish has much less to do with their ability to lower cholesterol than their ability to lower inflammation, which is indeed a definite risk for heart disease, as well as a component of Alzheimer's, obesity, and diabetes. |
Jacky Law
See book keywords and concepts | | When the UK government decided to take the low-dose statin, zocor Heart-Pro, off the prescription list, it effectively passed the cost of around £13 ($23) a month to people with a low risk of heart disease. If they want it, they must pay, in other words. Nothing wrong with that, but its guidance does not present an uncontested picture of the facts. The Department of Health encourages all men over the age of 55 to take zocor for life. If they have any risk factors for heart disease, they should start at 45. Women, meanwhile, should start at 55 if they have at least one risk factor. |
Ray D. Strand
See book keywords and concepts | | But Group 4, which received a combination of zocor and antioxidants, did not see as much of a rise in their HDL (good) cholesterol. This finding was a marginal finding and was not statistically significant. Yet the negative press that has come from these marginal findings has led the overwhelming majority of doctors to quickly claim that taking vitamin E with their prescription cholesterol-lowering drugs blocks the beneficial effects of their drugs. |
David Winston, RH(AHG), and Steven Maimes
See book keywords and concepts |  Millions of people are taking prescription drugs such as Lipitor, zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor, and Crestor to lower cholesterol levels. The prescribing of these drugs is based on the hypothesis that high cholesterol levels cause heart attacks. Unfortunately, serious side effects have been reported for these drugs, which are prescribed for preventive purposes.
Cholesterol reduction in some cases can be achieved without drugs, and adaptogens can help. Several adaptogens, when used along with dietary changes, exercise, and supplements, can help reduce cholesterol levels. |
Frederic Vagnini, M.D. and Barry Fox, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  Brand Name: Zocor
About Simvastatin
Popularly known by its brand name zocor, simvastatin is one of the widely prescribed statin drugs. The statins are used to reduce cholesterol and blood fats—and they work well in many people.
A report appearing in the medical journal Lancet described a study of 4,444 people suffering from coronary heart disease.7 The participants took either simvastatin or a placebo for more than five years. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
See article keywords and concepts |  Preliminary data have shown lipid-regulating compounds, such as Lipitor or zocor, are causing fish to deposit fat into their eggs which might affect reproduction.
"Pharmaceuticals are designed for a very specific mode of action," lead scientist Rebecca Klaper stated. Klaper said some of the male minnows are "missing a few steps" as they prepare for mating.
Researchers are calling the pollutants "emerging contaminants." The term encompasses personal care products, prescription drugs, pesticides, and other substances, some of which are known to affect human hormone production. |
The Editors of FC&A
See book keywords and concepts | | Statins, like zocor or Upitor, do wonders for your cholesterol, but you can help them work even better. Here are effective strategies to help you maximize the power of statins.
Try the Mediterranean approach. A Finnish study found that eating a healthy diet and taking simvastatin (the generic name of zocor) works better than either approach by itself.
People in the study ate a modified Mediterranean diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It featured fish, lean meats, low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables, cereals, and berries. |
J. Douglas Bremner
See book keywords and concepts |  Lipitor rings up $6 billion a year in sales; zocor, $5 billion; and the others are close behind.
Indeed, in their enthusiasm for statins and other drugs, some cardiologists advocate the development of a "polypill" that would include a statin, a beta-blocker, aspirin, and maybe an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. The idea is that everyone, even those considered normal, would take a polypill to prevent heart disease.
Pfizer is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world largely because of the success of Lipitor, its best-selling drug. |
Melody Petersen
See book keywords and concepts | | They explained that Bayer executives working in the United States "did not want to publish this data" because it showed that zocor was more effective than Baycol.
Two years later it wasn't just Baycol's lack of effectiveness that worried the Bayer executives deciding what data would get published. The company was learning about the dozens of patients who had taken Baycol and then been struck by rhabdomyolysis, the potentially fatal muscle disorder. In the minutes to the November 1, 1999, meeting of the Baycol Communications Committee, executives described how Dr. | | Other companies were already selling five of these drugs known as statins, including Lipitor, zocor, and Pravachol. But that did not stop the plans of the executives at the German chemical giant. They needed a new bestseller and were excited by the fast-rising use of statins by Americans, who were reminded every day to watch the levels of cholesterol in their blood. Thanks to the marketers of the first statin pills, "Know your numbers" had become a mantra of the fifty-and-older set.
There was something about Baycol, however, that made it stand out from the others. |
Andreas Moritz
See book keywords and concepts | | When President Clinton left office in 2001, he was still on the cholesterol-lowering statin drug zocor. But once his excessive weight came off and his cholesterol levels dropped, he discontinued taking the statin drug. So when mainstream doctors heard about Clinton's heart condition, they immediately pointed the finger at the lack of statins as being the culprit. "See what happens when you don't take your pills?" Their words carried a warning for the rest of us who perhaps are just as careless when it comes to keeping our cholesterol levels in check. |
Melody Petersen
See book keywords and concepts | | Drugs like Prilosec for AstraZeneca, Viagra and Lipitor for Pfizer, zocor for Merck. We need drugs in that range."
For the public, the implications of such a business strategy can be devastating. People with rare diseases are ignored. So are the poor, who cannot afford the high prices that must be charged for a drug to become a megablockbuster. Instead, under this game plan, the drug company focused its resources solely on drugs with the potential to be sold on a massive scale to rich Americans.
And it was not just Bristol-Myers that had devised such a strategy. |
Earl L. Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts | | So once again, we have a cholesterol-lowering drug supposedly given to reverse heart disease, causing a deficiency of a substance crucial to a strong and healthy heart.
The zocor Story
Here's a story about zocor, but it could probably apply to any of the statins, which have more similarities than differences. Consider this a cautionary tale that could apply to any drug.
A couple of years ago newspaper headlines trumpeted the results of a five-year study on a drug called zocor showing that the drug reduced death from heart disease and other causes by lowering cholesterol. |
Jack Challem
See book keywords and concepts |  Statin Drugs Reduce CoQIO Levels
Fatigue, liver disease, and heart failure are among the risks associated with "statin" drugs, the largest category of cholesterol-lowering drugs (which include Lipitor, Mevacor, Pravachol, zocor, and the now banned Baycol). According to studies by Dr. Peter Langsjoen and many other researchers, statin drugs also decrease the body's production of CoQIO.
These drugs work by reducing the activity of a key enzyme involved in the production of cholesterol. However, the same enzyme is needed for CoQIO synthesis. | | Yet Merck, the maker of zocor, owns two patents describing the combination of its statin drug and CoQIO. So anyone taking statin drugs should also take supplemental CoQIO.
How to Take CoQl 0 Supplements
The striking results obtained from CoQIO supplements may make this nutrient seem a little like a panacea. However, whenever nutrients positively affect bioenergetics and DNA, they will likely have diverse effects on health and well-being. Here are some supplement guidelines to follow:
• If you are under age forty and in good health, take 30 to 50 mg of CoQIO daily. |
Greg Critser
See book keywords and concepts |  If General Motors saw that more and more of its health care money was being spent on treating heart disease, for example, Medco could craft special prevention and treatment plans, often mentioning zocor and its rivals, as part of that plan, as well as sponsoring clinics for cholesterol screening and state-of-the-art information on healthful eating and exercise.
On the Internet, it was now easy for a patient who got her Vioxx from Medco to have her own personalized "health toolbox, " where she might register all of her doctor appointments, medication times, and medication renewal dates. | | Vioxx, zocor, Singulair, Fosamax, Medco — by the year 2000, the mainstays of the Gilmartin way had transformed Merck. It was now as much an information company as it was a pill company. For stockholders, the upshot of that was best summarized in Merck's annual report: sales stood at $40.3 billion, up a stunning 23 percent from the previous year. Profits were even more impressive: the company cleared more than $5.2 billion. That same year, some 51 million Americans had their pharmaceutical benefits managed by Medco. | | COX-2 inhibitors (Celebrex, still on the post-Vioxx market) and statins (among them Lipitor and zocor) are two of the biggest-selling classes of chronic disease drugs, and liver testing is recommended for both; they are nowhere near as toxic as Rezulin, but they will need to be scrutinized ever more intensely if they are to remain controllable. Both are the subject of enormous scientific and marketing campaigns to expand the percentage of Americans who take them. Hence, the liver remains on the front line. |
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ABOUT THE CREATOR OF NATURALPEDIA: Mike Adams, the creator of this NaturalNews Naturalpedia, is the editor of NaturalNews.com, the internet's top natural health news site, creator of the Honest Food Guide (www.HonestFoodGuide.org), a free downloadable consumer food guide based on natural health principles, author of Grocery Warning, The 7 Laws of Nutrition, Natural Health Solutions, and many other books available at www.TruthPublishing.com, creator of the earth-friendly EcoLEDs company (www.EcoLEDs.com) that manufactures energy-efficient LED lighting products, founder of Arial Software (www.ArialSoftware.com), a permission e-mail technology company, creator of the CounterThink Cartoon series (www.NaturalNews.com/index-cartoons.html) and author of over 1,500 articles, interviews, special reports and reference guides available at www.NaturalNews.com. Adams' personal philosophy and health statistics are available at www.HealthRanger.org.
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