This data that lowering lipids too far may be bad isn't all that surprising. After all, in trial like TNT and IDEAL (comparing 10 to 80 of Lipitor and simva vs high dose lipitor) there was no mortality benefit for the higher dose. At the time we all wondered quietly what that meant- fear that the drugs might prevent heart attacks and kill people in other ways.
The new lower goals have made the newer more potent statins- Lipitor, Crestor, and Vytorin (which is only half a statin) necessary. Part of the fall out from this news will sure be a return to weaker and cheaper statins. Like the generics Pravachol and simva. I doubt Zetia will get any benefit. It wasn't included in the trial- so we don't have any reason to believe it causes these outcomes. But we also have no reason to believe the drug prevents heart attacks or does anything beneficial at all- since there are no outcome trials at all with this product.
In the interest of full disclosure- I shorted PFE and SGP this evening- already short MRK (and feeling a little stupid about it after today move).
By the way, the article on CNBCs site is at http://www.cnbc.com/id/19916998
Sponsor Updates and Offers
|
|
|
Related Articles:
What to expect out of the American Heart Meeting by pharmaking - Nov 04, 2007
Not too late to short MRK and SGP by pharmaking - Jan 27, 2008
MRK: Vaccines versus Vioxx by walt - Aug 26, 2007
Medtronic crashes by pharmaking - Oct 15, 2007
Cut Zetia in half, Cut Zetia Sales estimates in half. by pharmaking - Nov 04, 2007
What you get for your 2 and 30 by jsoc - Aug 17, 2007
Two cardiac stocks to buy ahead of the AHA by pharmaking - Nov 06, 2008
Killers or Killer drugs? Lipitor, other statins and cancer by ali - Jul 29, 2007.
Add to reading list
