Side effects
The following side effects have also been noted in general use: allergic reactions, including rash, hives, raised red rash, sometimes with target-shaped lesions, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat that may make breathing or swallowing difficult, joint pain, muscle aches, changes in some laboratory blood tests, liver issues, stomach pain, inflammation of the pancreas, nausea, dizziness, and tingling sensations. These reactions may require immediate treatment. If you experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness while taking Zetia, contact your doctor immediately. Patients who took Zetia in clinical studies reported few side effects. When Zetia was combined with a statin medication, patients have frequently experienced severe muscle problems while taking the medication. These symptoms included diarrhoea, joint pain, upper respiratory infection, and fatigue. You must act quickly because, in very rare cases, these muscle issues can be serious, with muscle breakdown leading to kidney damage.
Interactions
Take Zetia 2 hours prior to or 4 hours following the administration of cholestyramine, colestipol, or colesevelam if you are also taking other cholesterol medication. Not all possible drug interactions are covered in this list. Other drugs may interact with ezetimibe, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Inform your doctor of all other medications you are taking, especially: This list is not complete. drugs that interact with zetia (more information) cyclosporine, fenofibric acid, gemfibrozil, or a blood thinner like warfarin, Coumadin, or Jantoven.
Contraindications
If you have a reaction to any of the ingredients in Zetia, avoid taking it. If you are a woman of childbearing age, you should use an efficient method of birth control to prevent pregnancy while taking Zetia in addition to statin therapy. Do not take Zetia while taking a statin if you are pregnant or nursing. Do not take Zetia while taking the cholesterol-lowering drug class statins if you have active liver disease. Zetia has not been studied in children under age 10.
Ezetimibe tablets, administered in combination with fenofibrate, are indicated as adjunctive therapy to diet for the reduction of elevated total-C, LDL-C, Apo B, and non-HDL-C in adult patients with mixed hyperlipidemia. Ezetimibe tablets work to reduce the amount of cholesterol the body absorbs. Ezetimibe tablets had annual sales of approximately $2.7 billion in the U.S., according to IMS data as of March 2017.
We believe the side effects of this drug differ from other statins because pitavastatin is water-soluble and metabolizes differently." Ezetimibe (Zetia), for example, is a drug that blocks the absorption of cholesterol and is a non-statin treatment option, but it only lowers bad cholesterol by 18 to 20 percent. The findings are important because up to 15 percent of the nation's heart patients can't tolerate other statin medications, currently the most effective cholesterol-lowering agents available.
This appears also to be a condition of the illegal reverse payment agreement. This is also the subject of several pending class actions, which have been consolidated in an MDL in the Eastern District of Virginia. Companies who paid all or part of the purchase price for Zetia, including on behalf of their insureds, from May 2010 through December 2016 should evaluate the size of their purchases and consider filing suit. The complaint alleges defendants violated the antitrust laws by entering into a “reverse payment” agreement in May 2010 whereby Glenmark agreed to drop its meritorious patent challenge against Merck in exchange for a payment from Merck and an agreement by Glenmark and Par not to launch a generic competitor to Zetia until December 12, 2016.
Despite new US cholesterol guidelines and a clinical trial that tamped down hopes that Merck’s cholesterol drug Zetia could make a difference in the rare disease space, an analysis of prescription trends found that the drug continues to plug along, earning almost $3 billion in sales in 2013. This change has led to speculation that while doctors may continue to prescribe statins, add-ons—like Merck’s Zetia and Vytorin—could wane. This study, called IMPROVE-IT, assesses Merck’s Vytorin, a combination drug that includes Zetia and simvistatin, and is set on determining if the drug is associated with a lower risk of CV death, major coronary events, and stroke. Meanwhile, Zetia’s patent has only two years left in the US. Researchers also found a higher use in one province: Saskatchewan, which has the drug on an unrestricted formulary level.
You should stick to a diet and exercise plan in addition to taking Zetia. Your doctor will monitor your liver function while you are taking Ezetimibe. Precautions It is not recommended that patients with liver dysfunction take Ezetimibe. Some of the side effects will go away as your body adjusts to Ezetimibe. Storage Store at room temperature (77 ºF).
Importantly, investigators aimed to treat patients to an LDL cholesterol target range of 25 to 50 mg/dL. “Scientifically, it’s a magnificent study. Speaking with the media, Steg stressed that he and his co-investigators are “not trying to spin a negative trial into a positive” with their LDL-cholesterol subgroup analysis.
How much money?—it’s the number one question we always get about settlements. Translation: you may be able to get some money back on your purchases as a result of this settlement. Well, as with all class action settlements, it first depends on the number of class members (in this case Vytorin and Zetia consumers during the class time period) who submit eligible claim forms—that’s because the $12,450,000 part of the settlement that has been earmarked for consumers will be shared among all consumers who file eligible claims.