Word: mevacor
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Meanwhile, the dietary-supplement industry got into the act after it discovered that Chinese red yeast fermented on rice contains small amounts of the same active ingredient found in lovastatin (Mevacor). The FDA tried to ban the supplement's sale in the U.S., but the action has become the subject of a lengthy court process. The controversy hasn't stopped Merck, which manufactures Mevacor and Zocor, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, which produces Pravachol, from arguing that they should be allowed to sell their pharmaceutical-grade products at similarly low doses to the general public...
...debate begins in earnest this week, when the FDA conducts hearings on requests by Merck & Co., maker of Mevacor, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., manufacturer of Pravachol, to sell lower-dose versions of their cholesterol-lowering products over the counter (OTC). If the FDA approves the switch, it may unleash a flood of similar requests from other drugmakers...
Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb say they are pushing for OTC status for their products to make them more widely and cheaply available. But analysts note that Merck's patent on Mevacor expires next year. And while Bristol-Myers Squibb's patent on Pravachol runs to 2005, generic versions of Mevacor will surely cut into Pravachol's sales, justifying Bristol-Myers' push for OTC too. An added benefit: a switch could give the maker exclusive selling rights on the drug for three more years. That's why medicines like the hair-loss treatment Rogaine (owned by Pharmacia Corp...
Just last week Roche Laboratories pulled its high-blood-pressure pill Posicor from the market because of potentially fatal interactions with 26 other medications, including such common cholesterol drugs as Mevacor and Zocor. If you are taking Posicor, however, don't just stop it on your own. Ask your doctor for a substitute prescription to keep your blood pressure safely under control...
...Matters Of The Heart" provided an excellent summary of the highlights of the American Heart Association's annual meeting [HEALTH, Nov. 24]. We were pleased that you recognized the importance of the study, which showed that in men and women with normal and near normal cholesterol levels, treatment with Mevacor reduced the incidence of first coronary events such as heart attack or unstable angina 36%. Unfortunately, the article incorrectly cited the generic name of Mevacor as pravastatin. The correct generic name is lovastatin. JOHN BLOOMFIELD, Director, Public Affairs Merck & Co., Inc. West Point...