Zocor Leads to Chemical Injury in Patient’s Muscles

The FDA warned consumers and the medical community this week about the risk of muscle damage and rhabdomyolysis from highest doses of the cholesterol drug simvastatin. 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

80mg Zocor Linked to Liver Damage In FDA Warning

Statin drugs have been linked to diabetes and muscle injury in many recent studies. European researchers report that high-dose regimens of a class of drugs known as statins, such as Zocor may be linked to the onset of diabetes in rare cases, although the drugs do lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. The results of the study were published online in June by the Journal of the American Medical Association. Zocor has also been linked to muscle injury and Zocor liver damage. The researchers looked at five studies involving a total of 32,752 subjects. All were given statin-based cholesterol drugs, but half were given high doses of about 80 mg per day and the other half were given lower doses of 20 to 40 mg per day for an average of about five years. They found that more participants given high doses developed diabetes than those who were given lower doses.  Patients taking 80mg dose Zocor are more likey to experience myopothy, or Zocor rhabdomyolysis as well.

Highest Dose of Zocor Banned By FDA Due To Muscle Damage

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 Zocor 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.  The FDA warns that the 80 mg dose of Zocor carries an increased risk of muscle injury,

80mg Dose of Zocor Now Comes With Strong Warning of Muscle Damage

With a long history of increased risk for Zocor muscle injury, the drug's label has recently been amended by the FDA. The FDA’s new recommendation was prompted by a seven-year study and patient reports that prove those taking the higher dosage of simvastatin have a greater risk of muscle injury and other Zocor side effects than patients treated with lower doses or other statins. The new restrictions and warnings also apply to Vytorin and Simcor, which are combination medications that include

FDA Warns Of Deadly Link to Rare Muscle Syndrome with Zocor

People taking the highest approved doses of the cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor (simvastatin) may be at increased risk for muscle injuries, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned earlier this year. The Zocor drug safety communication also contains a list of drugs that should not be used in combination with Zocor, including the combination cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Simcor. The FDA began reviewing the side effects of Zocor in March 2010, when it first warned of the possible increased risk of rhabdomyolysis and other muscle injuries. The FDA estimates that 2.1 million people were prescribed some drug containing simvastin in 2010. Eleven patients who used 80 milligrams of the statin drug per day developed Zocor rhabdomyolysis compared to none among those

Could Zocor Liver Damage Lead to Lawsuits?

The statin drug Zocor has been used in many patients to treat high levels of cholesterol, which can lead to serious, life-threatening conditions like heart disease and stroke. It has helped many patients regain a balance in their life and reduced the risk of these serious conditions in several cases, but it also has been linked to a barrage of Zocor side effects that have been plaguing patients since the drug was first released. Diabetes has been associated with statin use, as has a serious muscle condition called Guillian-Barre Syndrome, which has manifested in patients but has not yet been clinically proven to be linked to Zocor use. However, muscle injury is the most prominent and most prevalent side effect, with possibility of progression of Zocor rhabdomyolysis, that users have complained of.

Zocor Lawsuits More Muscle Injury than Other Side Effects

Zocor is a popular medication that is prescribed to patients at risk of heart disease. It is a statin drug, which has proven effective in managing high cholesterol levels in patients for whom cholesterol levels are a problem or a contributing factor to heart disease. Zocor and other statin medications have been a great deal of help to a significant number of at-risk patients, but for others, side effects of the Zocor statin medication have been a detriment to their health.

Zocor has been linked to many serious muscle conditions, including rhabdomyolysis and myopathy. Zocor myopathy is a muscle condition that involves the deterioration of muscle tissue, leading to muscle weakness or injury, and in severe cases can manifest as Zocor rhabdomyolysis, in which

Consumer Watch Group Calls For Ban of Zocor

Zocor (simvastatin) is a synthetic statin developed by Merck that is designed to lower cholesterol. Zocor is part of a class of drugs called statins that are used to treat high LDL (bad) cholesterol. Simvastatin is also sold in generic versions, and is an active ingredient in the combination drugs Vytorin and Simcor. Muscle injury has long been recognized as one of the possible Zocor side effects, and the labels of these medications all bear warnings regarding this risk. In 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the labels of high-dose simvastatin to warn of an association with muscle injuries.

The FDA now says that doctors should no longer prescribe 80 milligrams of Zocor unless a patient has already been taking the dose for a year without any apparent trouble. But not everyone agrees that the warning goes far enough. Public Citizen has placed the Zocor 80 mg doses on its “Do Not Use” list, following an FDA warning about the risk of serious and potentially life-threatening muscle injury from Zocor that was issued earlier this week. The FDA announced June 8 that it is recommending that no new patients be started on an 80 mg Zocor (simvastatin) regimen, due to the risk of high dose Zocor side effects including

Zocor Dose Matters in Patients With Side Effects

Cholesterol-lowering drugs like Zocor have been beneficial to many patients since they hit markets, lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke associated with high cholesterol levels in their bloodstream and other complications that can manifest if a patient’s cholesterol is too high. However, there may be serious Zocor side effects that can make taking the drug more risky than beneficial.

The Food and Drug Administration released a warning in early June warning against use of the highest dose (80 mg) of Zocor, as this dose has been the one most obviously associated with serious side effects including muscle damage, myopathy, and rhabdomyolysis. Muscle weakness and muscle pain have also been linked to Zocor use and can have a serious impact on a patient’s health and wellbeing.

Patients who file a Zocor lawsuit, as many have been doing, may be more successful at gaining some kind of settlement if they were taking the 80mg dose of Zocor as opposed to lower doses such as the 20mg dose. This is not to say that patients on lower doses who experienced Zocor side effects will not be eligible to file a lawsuit, but their cases may be more difficult to argue and prove, and Zocor lawyers will be more likely to be able to help plaintiffs who were taking the recently-banned high doses of Zocor because of the recent FDA warning against the prescription of this dose.

How Zocor Works and Why It Can Be Dangerous

Zocor, a synthetic statin developed by Merck, 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. LDL ( low-density lipoproteins ) cholesterol is responsible for a number of health problems, including high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, stroke and heart attack. This is particularly relevant to atherosclerosis. It is caused by the accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries which leads to arterial hardening and blockages. Statins are also used in cases where there is a history or risk of cardiovascular diseases, even if cholesterol levels are normal. So, why then are the number of Zocor lawsuits and other statin-based drugs on the rise?  If you've been paying attention to a Zocor lawyer, the answer is alarming.

The FDA recently issued a warning that 80mg Zocor doses increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis and other forms of myopathy. The warning applied to all drugs that contain simvastatin, the active ingredient in Zocor.

Zocor May Break Down Muscles Which Can Cause Kidney Failure

The FDA recently issued a warning that 80mg Zocor doses increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis and other muscle injuries, which can lead to renal failure. The warning applied to all drugs that contain simvastatin, the active ingredient in Zocor. In addition to generic Zocor equivalents, simvastatin is included in the combination cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Simcor. Patients taking the highest dosage of Zocor - 80 mg - during their first year of treatment face the greatest risk of muscle injury. At its most severe, Zocor muscle injury can lead to rhabdomyolysis, a disorder that can damage the kidneys and lead to kidney failure and possibly death. Approximately 5 out of 100,000 individuals suffering from Zocor rhabdomyolysis side effects who were prescribed the 80mg dose had to be hospitalized. Zocor lawyers are preparing to file lawsuits on behalf of clients injured by Zocor. 

                       

On June 8, 2011, the FDA added new warnings to the labels of Zocor and other simvastatin (cholesterol-lowering) drugs and recommended that patients not be prescribed the 80 mg dose during the first 12 months of treatment in order to mitigate the Zocor muscle injury risk. The new restrictions and warnings also apply to Vytorin and Simcor. In addition, the labels for simvastatin, Vytorin and Simcor were changed to include new dosing recommendations when these drugs are used with certain medications, such as blood pressure medicines amlodipine and diltiazem, which interact to increase the level of simvastatin in the body, which can increase the risk for myopathy. 

Rhabdomyolysis is a rare muscle condition in which the skeletal muscle is damaged and releases myoglobin into the bloodstream. When it is filtered out by the kidneys, it could cause severe kidney failure or death. During this process, the dead muscle fibers release a toxic substance known as myoglobin into the bloodstream that may harm the kidney and ultimately lead to acute kidney failure. Acute kidney failure is the sudden loss of the ability of the kidneys to remove waste and concentrate urine. Statins are among the best-selling drugs in the United States, with $14.5 billion in combined sales in 2008. It’s nearly impossible to know how many people have been exposed to these Zocor side effects.

Zocor Lawsuits Could Bring Thousands of Plaintiffs Into the Ring

The Food and Drug Administration has reported that more than 2 million Americans have been prescribed the high cholesterol and heart disease medication Zocor – generically called simvastatin – in the high 80 mg dose. Legal experts say that this high dose is the one most likely to contribute to side effects that have been experienced by many patients, including muscle pain, weakness, and tenderness, as well as muscle injury. In rarer cases, patients have been known to suffer from a serious kidney condition called Zocor rhabdomyolysis.
Millions of patients are also on lower doses of Zocor and other forms of simvastatin, and these patients could also be eligible to file suit against drugmaker Merck in order to compensate for financial costs related to side effects. There is no way to determine how much in damages a plaintiff could stand to receive, but many factors will be taken into consideration – medical bills, severity of injury, wages lost, and other variables can contribute to the amount awarded to a plaintiff.
Merck could be on the hook for millions of dollars in damages based on the sheer number of patients who have been prescribed the popular cholesterol lowering medication, especially after the Food and Drug Administration’s recent report. Earlier in June, a report issued by the Food and Drug Administration warned of ties linking Zocor and other simvastatin products to muscle injury, also called myopathy. This news could certainly help plaintiffs in Zocor cases with obtaining a fair settlement, because there has been official acknowledgement of the Zocor side effects.
Along with this, it was made clear that 80 mg Zocor prescriptions will no longer be distributed; this does not mean that patients with an 80 mg Zocor prescription should stop taking the drug immediately. Patients should consult their physician before stopping any medical treatment or if they are concerned with side effects that may be linked to the drug they are taking. Patients who have experienced or are experiencing Zocor side effects may also want to speak to an experienced Zocor lawyer to determine their eligibility for litigation against Merck in a Zocor lawsuit.

Muscular Disease Linked to Zocor

Zocor is made of simvastatin and is also sold in generic form. Zocor is prescribed to treat patients with significantly increased risks of atherosclerotic vascular disease due to hypercholesterolemia. The FDA reports that the 80-mg dose lowers the LDL cholesterol by an additional 6% over simvastatin 40 mg, and that an estimated 2.1 million patients in the U.S. were prescribed a product containing 80-mg simvastatin in year 2010. The changes were brought about by the SEARCH clinical trial, which found that myopathy in patients on simvastatin 80 mg/day was approximately 0.9% compared with 0.02% for patients on 20 mg/day. The incidence of Zocor rhabdomyolysis in patients on 80 mg/day was approximately 0.4% compared with 0% for patients on 20 mg/day.
Myopathy is a disease that causes muscular weakness. Rhabdomyolysis is a very specific type of myopathy, in which there is a rapid break down of skeletal muscle due to muscle tissue injury. The broken down material can be released into the bloodstream and may cause acute kidney failure. Signs and symptoms for myopathy include unexplained muscle fatigue, muscle pain, tenderness and an elevation of a muscle enzyme in the blood (creatine kinase). Rhabdomyolysis, one of the many Zocor side effects, is often characterized by fatigue and dark or red urine, in addition to the symptoms of myopathy. The illness is usually reported in patients over 65 years of age or those who have renal impairment or uncontrolled hypothyroidism.
Zocor is a statin and statins are among the best-selling drugs in the United States, with $14.5 billion in combined sales in 2008. They use the liver to block the body’s creation of cholesterol, which is a key contributor to coronary artery disease. Statins use the liver to block the body’s creation of cholesterol, which is a key contributor to coronary artery disease. Statin is used in a number of other popular cholesterol controlling drugs, including Crestor, Lipitor, Mevacor, Lescol and Pravachol. Patients are further urged to consult with their doctor if they believe they are affected by the prescribing changes, as well as an experiened Zocor lawyer to consider taking legal action in filing a Zocor lawsuit.

Rhabdomyolysis Risk in Zocor Prompts FDA To Lower Dosage

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. 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 Zocor 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.
In rare cases, the Zocor muscle problems may result in a condition known as rhabdomyolysis. Symptoms of rhabdomyolysis from Zocor could include: muscle cramps, pain, spasms, stiffness and tenderness. Rhabdomyolysis is a serious condition where damaged muscle tissue releases the protein myoglobin into the bloodstream, which may cause kidney damage, kidney failure or death. High doses of Zocor (simvastatin) may increase the risk of this potentially life-threatening condition. The severity of Zocor rhabdomyolysis problems often varies depending on whether kidney function is impacted. Kidney damage from Zocor rhabdomyolysis may lead to decreased urine production or the inability to urinate.
All statins have been found to carry a risk of muscle injury, known as myopathy, and rhabdomyolysis is the most severe form, potentially causing severe kidney damage, kidney failure and death. Due to these risks, the FDA has lowered the prescribed dosage amounts for Zocor to below 80mg. The changes were brought about by the SEARCH (Study of the Effectiveness of Additional Reductions in Cholesterol and Homocysteine) clinical trial, which found that myopathy in patients on simvastatin 80 mg/day was approximately 0.9% compared with 0.02% for patients on 20 mg/day. The incidence of rhabdomyolysis in patients on 80 mg/day was approximately 0.4% compared with 0% for patients on 20 mg/day. The incidence of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis, was highest during the first year and then notably decreased during the subsequent years of treatment. Those suffering from the adverse effects of Zocor are advised to contact an experienced Zocor lawyer to ensure proper representation in filing a Zocor lawsuit.

Harmed Patients Seek Advice Of Zocor Lawyer in Wake of FDA Announcement

Many Zocor patients were shocked when the Food and Drug Administration made an announcement in June that effectively banned the distribution of 80 mg doses of the cholesterol medication. Other patients, especially ones who have already experienced some of the serious Zocor side effects, were less surprised. Still others began exploring their legal options as soon as the announcement was made. Almost all Zocor patients are now likely to have questions about the safety of the medication they are taking.
Although the Food and Drug Administration has only truly warned against prescribing the 80 mg dosage of the drug, patients taking doses as low as 20 mg in an effort to control their cholesterol levels are also at risk for serious muscle-related side effects such as Zocor muscle injury, muscle weakness, and muscle inflammation. All of these symptoms could point to a more serious side effect, known as rhabdomyolysis. Regardless of the cause, muscle pain can take many workers out of commission and prevent people from doing what they enjoy in life. These side effects are of concern especially to manual laborers who have been taking Zocor, as the Zocor side effects could completely prevent them from doing their jobs.

It is possible that the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement has opened the floodgates for an influx of lawsuits against drugmaker Merck and other manufacturers of generic simvastatin medications. However, it is also likely that drugmakers will decide to settle out of court, a tactic that can be beneficial to both parties. It is in the interest of the plaintiff especially because money is awarded to them more quickly than it would be if the case were to go through the often-lengthy judicial process, and this money can go directly to paying off medical bills or covering for lost wages.
Although the Food and Drug Administration’s announcement only truly covered patients who had been prescribed the 80 mg dose of Zocor or generic simvastatin, it may also help to legitimize claims made by patients who have been taking lower doses of the drug and have still experienced Zocor side effects. By acknowledging the connection between the side effects and the medication itself, the Food and Drug Administration has given patients an opportunity to take legal action by filing a Zocor lawsuit against the drugmakers.

Zocor Reduces Cholesterol But Raises Other Serious Risks

Statins are among the best-selling drugs in the United States, with $14.5 billion in combined sales in 2008. They use the liver to block the body’s creation of cholesterol, which is a key contributor to coronary artery disease. Statin is used in a number of other popular cholesterol controlling drugs, including Crestor, Lipitor, Mevacor, Lescol, Pravachol and Zocor. Although information about Zocor side effects has been on its label, the manufacturer failed to adequately warn about the extent of the risk when 80 mg doses of simvastatin are taken. The FDA recommended on June 8th that no new patients be started on an 80 mg Zocor regimen, due to the risk of developing myopathy, rhabdomyolysis, kidney damage and other muscle injury.
The use of statins is associated with a condition known as statin myopathy, in which the patient experiences muscle pain and tenderness. This condition is reportedly linked to the dose size, meaning the higher the Zocor dose (80mg being the highest recommended dose), the higher the likelihood of experiencing muscle pain. In extreme cases, the muscle cells can break down (a condition known as rhabdomyolysis) and release myoglobin into the patient's bloodstream, which can cause damage to the kidneys as the kidneys try to filter the protein out of the bloodstream. Zocor rhabdomyolysis is treatable and patients can recover if the disease is caught in its early stages. But if the disease is left untreated, acute kidney failure develops in 30-40 percent of patients.
Public Citizen has indicated that the FDA did not go far enough and should have issued an outright ban on the high dose version of Zocor, according to a statement made in its Worst Pills, Best Pills newsletter. The consumer group has designed Zocor 80mg as a “Do Not Use” medication, and urged all consumers, including those who had taken Zocor 80 mg without any problem so far, to consider switching to another medication or lower Zocor dosage. However, the organization cautioned that patients should check with their doctors before ending any drug treatment. Victims suffering from the adverse effects of Zocor are filing Zocor lawsuits nationwide.

Zocor Side Effects Could Spell Trouble for Merck

Merck is the manufacturer of the popular prescription anti-cholesterol medication Zocor, a drug that was prescribed to two million patients across the United States last year alone. Although the initial success and sustained momentum of the drug since it was released a few years ago have looked good for the drugmaker, recent developments have put a different spin on the story, especially since the Food and Drug Administration’s latest press release.