Lipitor News

• Ask Dr. Gott: Start low with niacin treatment (The Monterey County Herald)
  Dear Dr. Gott: In a past column, you recommended replacing Lipitor with either omega-3 fish oil capsules or niacin. I have elected to try the niacin. You said to start with 500 milligrams per day, and I have done this for a couple of weeks.



• Peace on patents to boost Ranbaxy (Business Standard India)
  Firm reaches out-of-court agreement on 5 of 19 patent challenges in the US. Ranbaxy Laboratories, India's largest pharmaceutical drug firm by sales, expects its recent patent litigation settlements to add significantly to its revenues as well as net profit.



• Efficacy Questions Still Dog Vytorin (Forbes)
  If the Merck/Schering-Plough drug escapes worries about cancer, there is still the question of whether it works.



• 'Swiss Army Drugs' Present Challenges (BrandWeek)
  Prescription drug marketers are embracing a staple of packaged goods marketing: the brand extension. Having only been allowed to market to consumers since 1987, the drug industry tends to be a step behind its packaged goods brethren.



• Keep taking statins after heart attack: study (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
  People who are tempted to quit taking their statin medication because it failed to prevent a heart attack should think twice, Canadian researchers said on Wednesday.



• Another Storm Brewing For Vytorin (Forbes)
  Data on whether it causes cancer are set to be released next week.