Zocor
(simvastatin) is a synthetic statin developed by Merck that is designed to
lower cholesterol. It is one of Merck’s best selling drugs and the second
best-selling cholesterol drug in the world. Generic Zocor is widely available
and the active ingredient, simvastatin, is also contained in the drugs Vytorin
and Simcor with other medications. When considering a Zocor lawsuit, a Zocor
lawyer will need to evaluate the amount of time the drug was used, the dosage
and the extent of the damages suffered by the patient and whether or not they
were pre-existing.
Link Between Higher Doses and Side Effects
A
new study says high doses of statins like Zocor or Lipitor could increase the
likelihood of developing diabetes. The same study also found that a high dose
of Lipitor was better than the same dose of generic Zocor at preventing heart
attacks and strokes. A lawyer, when examining a potential cases, will review
whether or not the patient knew of the risks associated with Zocor. Many
statins have, for a long time, been associated with a myriad of Zocor side effects. The
argument can be made, on the other hand, that patients who were not informed of
Zocor side effects were never given the opportunity to research other
possibilities as the risks were never made fully clear to them.
In June 2011, the FDA
issued a warning to doctors about potential side effects of Zocor when used at
high doses (80 mg), saying that the cholesterol drug may increase the risk of
muscle injury or myopathy. The warning came after more than a year of FDA
experts reviewing clinical trials on Zocor and other drugs containing
simvastatin, which had been available to the manufacturers for some time. Zocor muscle injury side
effects may hospitalize about 5 out of every 100,000 people who take the
highest dose of the medication. The FDA has urged doctors not to start new
patients on 80 mg Zocor and to only give the high dose to patients who have
taken it for more than a year without side effects. Many people who were
prescribed Zocor before June of 2011 were never warned of these dangerous side
effects.
