Princess Zetia and the pea

Is it a nugget for Zetia?

Or a pebble?

Or a pea?

Here is a bit of junk sounding research.

Or at least junk inferences drawn.

85 patients perhaps taking Zetia who improved compared to a "control" group
with different blood pressure control,
on (perhaps) a surrogate endpoint
in an underpowered study.

The study enrolled 499 Native American diabetics, half of whom were assigned to achieve LDL or bad cholesterol levels of 70 or lower while the others aimed for 100 or below.
The aggressive treatment group also aimed for systolic blood pressure readings of 115 compared to 130 for those assigned to standard of care.
About a third (perhaps) of the aggressively treated patients took Zetia (maybe 85 or so), but no one knows which.

Some got thick carotid artery walls and flabby ventricles. No clinical endpoints studied.

The dissection is continuing.

See Wall Street Journal Blog 9 April 2008: From ENHANCE to SANDS: A Nugget for Zetia?

See also

Pharmalot: Vytorin Prescriptions Will Plummet. Surprised?
Pharma Giles: Mr. Ten Percent... Redundancies at Scherigh Plough
Dr. Peter Rost: How does it feel to fire 5,000 employees, Mr. Hassan?

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