Editor's Choice Main Category: Cholesterol Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials;Cardiovascular / Cardiology Article Date: 12 Jan 2013 - 0:00 PST Current ratings for: Tredaptive Cholesterol Drug Axed Over Serious Side Effect Fears Merck has announced plans to stop producing the extended-release niacin/laropiprant drug Tredaptive . The drug, used to manage dyslipidemia (high levels of cholesterol and fat in the blood), is not approved in the U.S. and the company is about to suspend the worldwide availability of it completely. These measures come following the HPS2-THRIVE (Heart Protection Study 2-Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events) study, the results of which indicate that the drug is not nearly as effective as previously thought. The drug was found to be associated with a number of serious adverse events. This comes as conclusive evidence to dismiss previous research that claimed the drug could be used as a possible approach of treating patients with dyslipidaemia. The company has already started notifying regulatory bodies in countries where the drug is still available to ensure that health care providers cease the availability of the drug. Merck is strongly advising all physicians to discontinue prescribing the drug to patients and consider … Continue reading →

By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 21:01 EST, 11 January 2013 | UPDATED: 12:24 EST, 12 January 2013 Doctors have been told to stop prescribing an anti-cholesterol drug because it doesn't work and can trigger serious side effects. The European drug watchdog yesterday suspended Tredaptive after safety concerns.. Around 3,000 Britons with high cholesterol levels are taking it, usually in addition to standard cholesterol-lowering statins. The European drug watchdog has told doctors to stop prescribing an anti-cholesterol drug because it doesn't work and can trigger serious side effects US manufacturer Merck announced it is withdrawing Tredaptive from sales in 40 countries - it is not marketed in the US - where it trades under different names. The European Medicine Agency (EMA) said it had reviewed new data from a large a large, long-term study involving over 25,000 patients, which cast doubt on the drug's benefits. The preliminary results of the study found adding it to statins did not reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke compared with statins alone. See the rest here: Cholesterol drug axed over safety fears it can trigger serious side effects … Continue reading →

London, Jan 12 (IBNS) A drug for bipolar disorder that works like lithium, the most common and effective treatment for the condition, but without lithium's toxicity and problem side-effects has been identified by Oxford University researchers in a study in mice. A drug that mimics the effect of lithium but without its side-effects would be a great improvement for patients, and has long been sought after. While the study has been conducted in mice, the newly identified drug is an existing compound called ebselen. It is known to be safe in humans and so its use for bipolar disorder can begin to be tested in clinical trials straight away. "Lithium has been used for over 60 years and remains the most effective treatment for bipolar disorder, but suffers from toxicity and has many side effects," says co-principal investigator Dr Grant Churchill of the Department of Pharmacology at Oxford University. "In mice, ebselen works like lithium. Most importantly, ebselen is an experimental drug that has been tested in people for other conditions, and does not have problematic side effects like lithium does." He adds: "We urgently need to test if ebselen works like lithium in people." The researchers report their findings … Continue reading →

By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 21:01 EST, 11 January 2013 | UPDATED: 12:24 EST, 12 January 2013 Doctors have been told to stop prescribing an anti-cholesterol drug because it doesn't work and can trigger serious side effects. The European drug watchdog yesterday suspended Tredaptive after safety concerns.. Around 3,000 Britons with high cholesterol levels are taking it, usually in addition to standard cholesterol-lowering statins. The European drug watchdog has told doctors to stop prescribing an anti-cholesterol drug because it doesn't work and can trigger serious side effects US manufacturer Merck announced it is withdrawing Tredaptive from sales in 40 countries - it is not marketed in the US - where it trades under different names. The European Medicine Agency (EMA) said it had reviewed new data from a large a large, long-term study involving over 25,000 patients, which cast doubt on the drug's benefits. The preliminary results of the study found adding it to statins did not reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke compared with statins alone. See more here: Tredaptive: Cholesterol drug axed over safety fears it can trigger serious side effects … Continue reading →