Vytoringate: U.S. Senate Finance Committee starts investigation.

Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Committee on Finance, today offered scathing critique of the conduct of Schering-Plough and Merck, as well as the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.

He is is asking drug makers Schering-Plough and Merck to explain when the companies first unblinded ENHANCE trial results and to account for sales and payments made for the cholesterol drug Vytorin to Medicaid. Senator Grassley has also written to the Securities and Exchange Commission, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology asking them to detail their financial relationships with the drug makers.

Senator Grassley's letter to Schering-Plough and Merck states:

"According to a report in TIME magazine, your companies have had the ENHANCE study results since April 2006, more than 20 months ago. However, your companies failed to release the ENHANCE results until January 14, 2008. According to your own press release, there is no apparent gain in health benefits from using Vytorin over the much cheaper generic statin, simvastatin. Even more disturbing is an article in The New York Times stating that your companies have failed to release several studies on ezetimibe. It is this type of behavior that has caused the American public to lose trust in drug companies."

"I am also disturbed by reports on CBS News that Carrie Smith Cox, President of Global Pharmaceuticals at Schering-Plough, sold 900,000 shares of company stock last year worth $28 million. There have also been reports that other executives sold large amounts of stock during this same time period. These stock sales occurred during the time when executives at the company were delaying the release of the ENHANCE results."

To the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology Senator Grassley writes:

"I have noticed that your company released a statement on the ENHANCE trial by Schering-Plough and Merck. While I do not disagree with the supportive tone of your statement, I am interested in whether you also urged the companies to release the results when it was discovered that the companies were delaying the release."

"I would appreciate an accounting of industry funding that those pharmaceutical companies or foundations set up by these same companies have provided to the American Heart Association (AHA). "

Sen. Grassley asks questions about controversy over delayed release of drug study involving Vytorin

(*) Grassley letter to the American Heart Association

(*) Grassley letter to the American College of Cardiology

(*) Grassley letter to Schering-Plough

(*) Grassley letter to Merck

(*) Grassley letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission

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TIME magazine, your companies have had the ENHANCE study results since April 2006, more than 20 months ago. However, your companies failed to release the ENHANCE

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