Can Zocor, Vytorin and Simcor cause serious muscle damage in patients?
Zocor, the popular cholesterol lowering drug manufactured by Merck & Co. already carries warnings about muscle pain and weakness as a serious side effect of the drug. However, on Friday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its own warnings to health care providers and patients about a serious risk of muscle injury and kidney damage for some patients who take Zocor.
Zocor is the brand name of the drug simvastatin. It is found as a component in the cholesterol lowering drug Vytorin (manufactured by Merck) and Simcor (manufactured by Abbott Laboratories).
The warning issued by the FDA is for patients who take the highest approved dose of the medication (which is 80 milligrams). Patients who take lower doses of the drug Zocor and possibly other drugs in this class (known as statins) appear to be at a lower risk for such injury.
The potentially deadly side effect that the FDA is warning about is known as rhabdomyolysis. This is a form of muscle damage that can lead to kidney damage and possibly kidney failure and even death. The FDA based their warning on information gathered from clinical trials and studies, reports of side effects by users, and prescription data.
Statins are a type of drug that is taken to reduce the body’s levels of LDL cholesterol by limiting the amount of cholesterol that can be produced in the body. Other drugs that fall under the class of statins include the popular medications Lipitor (manufactured by Pfizer) and Crestor (manufactured by Astra Zeneca).