Call it the power of Big Pharma in its efforts to control the prescribing habits of many well intentioned and knowledgeable physicians. The recent revelation of the lack of benefit of Merck’s newest anti-cholesterol agent Vytorin has surprised even the most cynical of prescribers. Imagine the dilemma faced by physicians everywhere when the most stalwart of drug detailers left them with no choice but to give a drug to the most appropriately chronically ill patient with coronary disease which essentially does not work, showing zero benefit. Why, they just had to use it — in spite of the fact that many generics already on the market (we now know) have been better choices all along. | LINK 1 | LINK 2