Comments on: A Failed Attempt to Improve Perceived Greatness: The ENHANCE Trial

By: fh comeaux

fh comeaux — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 02:40:57 +0000

No doubt: Vytorin was the responsible element for my childhood’s early death…attacks on the liver, total body lameness through muscle deterioration, chills and high fevers. Within one year and some 60 days of hospitalization, the “bad to worse” syndrome set in: heart failed him.

The world has suffered more than damages. There must be an end to dangerous drugs!

By: Not true

Not true — Mon, 12 May 2008 13:11:58 +0000

The first sentence of this posting is inaccurate and misleading. Obviously the data within ALL trials should be closely examined, only 25 percent to 30 percent of drugs tested in Phase III are successful and go on to receive FDA approval.

Even less make it to Phase III.

To say that sponsors usually end up with positive results is just not true.

By: Eric Bagai

Eric Bagai — Sat, 10 May 2008 21:07:32 +0000

As a patient using statins for many years, I’m dismayed that pharma would perpetrate such ethical crimes, yet I’m not surprized. I see reps greeting medical office staff with boxes of donuts or designer salads, my magazines are filling up with direct-to-patient ads for obscure and invariably expensive new drugs, etc.

And now, because of the hefty markup between wholesale cost and patient cost, nephrologists and dialysis clinics are being bribed to corral and encourage the use of such expensive drugs as Aranesp. I’ve seen nurses actually fight over which clinic gets to “serve” a patient.

Not just the pharmceutical industry, but the medical industry itself is broken. Time to start over.

By: Dan Abshear

Dan Abshear — Sat, 10 May 2008 16:03:24 +0000

For the patient who wrote the above comment:

I’m sorry you have to deal with such issues as this.

And part of my vocational history was working for Merck for three years selling Zocor. This company once believed, as stated by George Merck decades ago, that the medicines were for the patients, without exception or amendments, and if this premise is followed, then the profits will materialize.

Profits instead of ethics today, sir, which saddens me as well as many others.

Thank you for your comment.

By: patient

patient — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:38:17 +0000

This deception hurt us not only health wise but in our pocketbook too. I am a retired patient living on social security and barely have enough money for food. My Doctor prescribed Vytorin and I took it for about a year and a half which means spent lots of money for no health benefit. I think all the patients should get their money back. Also Merck is certainly putting profit before the patients good. How corrupt is that?