Lipitor More Effective than Zocor
In a recent study out of the United Kingdom, researchers from St. George’s University, the University of London, and the University of Glasgow, found that high dose statin drugs increased the risk of patients contracting type-two diabetes. But when the study compared Lipitor to Zocor and its generics, researchers found that Lipitor was more effective in decreasing the patient’s risk of a heart attack.
This finding comes on the heels of the FDA announcement that Zocor’s labeling would be changed to reflect newer restricted prescribing practices of the drug. Zocor and its generic, Simvastatin, will no longer be prescribed at the 80 mg dosage to patients who are new to the drug. And patients taking certain other drugs may have to limit their intake of Zocor because of possible adverse drug reactions.
Where patients do need a high dose of statins though, doctors may have to chose the pricier Lipitor, which costs $1.20 a day, over generic Simvastatin, which costs a mere $0.04 a day.
Over the five-year study, researchers found that more than eight percent of participants developed diabetes, while 20 percent of patients had a major heart problem. The study did not look at the recent findings by the FDA that 80mg Simvastatin can cause severe muscle damage and deterioration.
Professor Kausik Ray of St. George’s University noted that patients already taking high doses of statins should not stop taking these drugs, but should be monitored by their doctors more closely. But he reiterated that “[t]he net benefit of Simvastatin is clearly very low and patients on Simvastatin 80 mg should be moved to Atorvastatin 80 mg instead.”
Unfortunately, for those without health insurance, Lipitor will be more costly than Simvastatin. “I don't think we can wait for loss of [Lipitor's] patent to stop using Simvastatin 80 mg,” Ray said.
Lipitor is scheduled to lose its U.S. patent protection this coming November.
