Harris knows that Vytorin is made up of two different drugs but there are some things about this medication that he doesn't know about and give him cause for concern--mainly due to hearing the latest Vytorin news--that the manufacturers have been accused of false advertising. " But my main complaint is that I lost both my parents to blood clots and that is the part of this drug that isn't working," says Harris.
"This drug that I have taken for all this time has virtually done me no good whatsoever," he says. "I'm still taking it but I will be seeing my doctor next Thursday and at that time we will decide on an alternative to lower my cholesterol and hopefully find a drug that can help break up platelets that lead to blood clots. I trust my doctor—I only heard part of the news about this drug and I called him right away. He set up an appointment immediately and I am pretty sure he will prescribe a different medication.
Studies are confusing: I hear reports that it won't hurt you to keep taking Vytorin but what's the point of taking this drug if it does not do what it is supposed to? It makes my blood boil, especially because I am disabled and on a fixed income.Other than the fact that it has lowered the bad cholesterol, Vytorin is supposed to keep the blood platelets from sticking together. Given my family history, this is equally as important as my cholesterol level.
I have medical insurance but I have to pay $25 per month. However, without insurance I would be paying $181 per month for Vytorin alone. The drug company must be laughing their way to the bank. It's like they are pulling the wool over our eyes. There is a lady in Washington—I got an email from her—and she did a cost analysis on all types of drugs. One drug she mentioned cost 8 cents a pill to manufacture but it was sold for $8 a pill. I recall that she placed Vytorin on the same scale.
I don't think it is fair that Vytorin is still on the market because it is not doing what it was advertised to do and is still being sold for the same price. My last prescription cost me the same as it did two years ago.
Another concern was the amount of time between the ENHANCE study results and when the results were released by the drug company—I read the study online. I was shocked and dismayed that this company hasn't come out with TV ads saying that they made a mistake. The very least they should say is to 'consult your doctor if you are taking this medication'. Instead, they have chosen to turn a blind eye. What are they thinking? What about patients who have been taking this drug for years and just now are learning that it wasn't cracked up to all it is supposed to be?
It is really disgusting that the FDA, the agency in control of policing these drugs, failed to catch this sooner—Vytorin reminds me of the Celebrex debacle. They've got to have records from the pharmacy and doctors of those patients who have been taking this drug. Why hasn't the drug company contacted us directly, giving us warnings, especially giving our doctors warnings?
There are so many unanswered questions and I want answers, or at least an alternative drug that will work.
There are a few reasons why I want to get involved in a class action lawsuit. I would like to recover my expenses and be paid a little bit for my time. If I had been on a drug that had been working, I would be a lot better off than I am now—due to taking this drug for the past two years. I would like to see some form of compensation for that. For all I know, I could wake up tomorrow with a blood clot in my brain; this medicine was supposed to take care of that.
