Back in Episode 2 of the Nursing Show podcast, I talked about statin drugs in the Tip of the Week.  I also have focused on the blog about the recent revelation that the makers of Vitorin may have concealed or delayed the release of a study that didn’t support the improved effects of their drug versus cheaper generic statin drugs.

Read my take on that here.

To follow up on that story and to  look at other statins in the news:

First, the FDA announced that it was denying the application by Merck & Co. to sell the statin drug, Mevacor over-the-counter.  The company stated in a recent press release that they were reviewing the reasons for denial and would decide if they would make changes to the application and drug packaging and resubmit the request.

Second, Federal regulators are going to be looking at whether a formal investigation into alleged wrong doing by Vitorin’s manufacturers is warranted.  Both Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough are under the microscope since the late release of a study that may have indicated that the drug’s performance was less than claimed.  The FDA announced that it is withholding a decision on the investigation until they receive a final copy of the delayed report.

Finally, whether the Feds come after the two Pharmaceutical giants or not, some patients who paid through the nose for a drug that may not have been any better than a much cheaper generic med are filing suit against the companies.  According to this story, four different suits representing patient who had take Vitorin or Zetia are seeking class action status in their pursuit of damages related to what may amount to false advertising and fraud according to the attorneys.

My question is, are we really surprised?