U.S. Attys probe Schering over Vytorin

The ranks of investigators probing Schering-Plough and its Vytorin drug are broadening. In a recent SEC filing, Schering disclosed that U.S. Attorneys have been asking for info and documents related to the controversial Enhance trial, which pitted the combo cholesterol drug Vytorin against partner Merck's statin drug Zocor.

That trial, as you know, has been under scrutiny for months now as Merck/Schering-Plough dragged its feet [1] in releasing the results, considering changing its primary endpoint, and then finally reported that Vytorin performed no better than Zocor alone at treating arterial clogging (though it did a better job of lowering bad cholesterol).

Details of the U.S. Attorneys' probes are scant; at this point, all we know is that another government official (or two or more, we don't know how many) has joined the investigatory fray. It's already well crowded with Senators, Congressional committees, state attorneys general and the like. We'll keep you posted.

- see the Pharmalot item [2]
- check out the Shearlings Got Plowed dissection [3] of the 10-Q filing
- read the filing [4] itself at the SEC website

Related Articles:
Fissures in Merck, Schering relationship? [5]
A turbulent week for Fred Hassan [6]
Schering-Plough laying off 5,500 [7]
Congress: M/S-P sat on bad news [1]
Congress: Were Enhance results secret? [8]