To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Merck Announces Get-To-Goal Guarantee For Patients Taking Zocor URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/BED72.htm Doctor's Guide November 5, 1998
WEST POINT, PA -- Nov. 5, 1998 -- Merck & Co., Inc. has launched the Get-to-Goal Guarantee for people taking the cholesterol-lowering drug, Zocor(R) (simvastatin). The Get-to-Goal Guarantee promises to refund patients the cost of up to six months of their prescription if Zocor therapy in addition to diet doesn't help them lower their LDL cholesterol to target levels identified by their physicians. Insurers will also be eligible for a refund. Zocor is a prescription medicine and should be used in addition to diet to lower elevated cholesterol levels if diet and other non-drug therapy alone have failed to achieve target LDL levels. In patients who have been hospitalized with an acute coronary event, such as a heart attack or worsening chest pain, consideration can be given to initiating drug therapy at the time of discharge if LDL cholesterol levels are at 130 mg/dL or higher. Zocor should not be used by anyone allergic to any of its components, with liver disease, or by women who are pregnant, breast-feeding or likely to become pregnant. The recommended usual starting dose of Zocor is 20 mg daily in the evening. Patients who require only a moderate reduction of LDL cholesterol may be started at 10 mg/day. In the elderly, maximum reductions in LDL cholesterol may be achieved with daily doses of 20 mg or less of Zocor. To qualify for a refund, patients must have their physicians certify that they were not able to reach target LDL cholesterol goals with at least one 30-day prescription for the maximum 80 mg strength of Zocor. Money will not be refunded to patients who discontinue use for other reasons such as side effects. If patients need additional cholesterol lowering, the Get-to-Goal program encourages titration to a higher dose -- the dose may be adjusted upward to 40 mg and then to 80 mg at intervals of four weeks or more. The new 80 mg strength has been shown in clinical studies to lower LDL cholesterol by an average of 47 percent. These results were based on two 24-week studies involving 1,105 patients which evaluated the efficacy of 80 mg (669 patients) vs. 40 mg (436 patients) of Zocor. The mean baseline LDL and total cholesterol levels were 224 mg/dL and 306 mg/dL, respectively. Following are the basic guidelines for the program: -- Both new and existing patients taking Zocor are eligible for the Get-to-Goal Guarantee. -- Patients should take Zocor daily as prescribed by their doctors and patients should visit their physicians regularly to monitor progress with Zocor in lowering LDL cholesterol. -- To qualify, all patients must have received at least one 30-day prescription for the new 80 mg strength. -- Patients should save all of their pharmacy receipts for Zocor, including at least one receipt for the 80 mg strength. Patients must be sure the receipt clearly shows the dosage strength and the price paid for the medicine. -- Merck will make refund forms available to physicians in their offices. Patients just need to fill out the form, have their physician sign the form certifying that the patient did not reach the targeted LDL goal and return it to Merck. Receipts for which the patient is seeking reimbursement must accompany the signed form. -- Eligible patients will receive a check in four to six weeks for their cost of up to six months of therapy. Zocor is the first cholesterol-lowering medicine indicated to help save lives and prevent heart attacks in patients with high cholesterol and heart disease. In the five-year, 4,444-patient Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S), Zocor demonstrated a 42 percent reduction in death from coronary heart disease, a 34 percent reduction in heart attacks and a 28 percent reduction in stroke or ministroke in people with high cholesterol and heart disease. Patients in 4S were started on 20 mg of Zocor; 37 percent were eventually moved to the 40 mg dose. Muscle pain or weakness in patients taking Zocor should be reported to a doctor, because these could be signs of a serious side effect. Doctors may perform blood tests to check liver function before and during treatment with Zocor. Patients taking the 80 mg dose of Zocor should receive an additional liver function test at three months. Related Links: Zocor and Merck & Co., Inc. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. 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