Zetia, a cholesterol-lowering prescription drug, was recently released as an alternative to statin therapy. Manufacturers Merck and chemical research company Schering-Plough made available the oral medication, which is developed from a Ezetimibe, an anti-hyperlipidemic medication. Zetia can also be combined with a single pill statin therapy drug known as Vytorin.

But, the company continued to delay the study's results. After the company delayed the results of the study to December 2007 did the media began to notice suspect activity from the company. Results of the trial study weren't made available publicly until January 2008. The media interpreted the results of the study as negative and dangerous to patients. The study's results included information that the drugs were not only reducing the fatty plaque growth in arteries, but that they actually contributed to an increase of such growth.

The results of the study quickly were made available to representatives in Congress. The chairmen and CEOs of Schering-Plough and Merck were contacted by several congressional figures including the chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations regarding the drugs' misrepresentation to patients. The correspondence calls into question the lighthearted nature of the Zetia and Vytorin commercials and the misleading information they insinuate. Inquiries were made by congressional leaders as to why results of the study were in the hands of manufacturers while television commercials advertised the opposite resulted outcomes of the drug to innocent individuals in the United States.

Although, this outcome resulted in the idea that heart complications could have been avoided. Recently, Zetia lawsuits have been filed in several states, charging that Merck and Schering-Plough deliberately withheld the information from the ENHANCE trial proving that Zetia provided no reduction in the frequency of cardiovascular events. Nor did they report information suggesting Zetia side effects where Zetia could be the cause of serious liver damage. Thus far, the lawsuits seek compensation for the cost of the medication to the consumers named as plaintiffs, however, this is only the beginning, as it is highly likely that that many Zetia lawsuits claiming health complications and damages will emerge.

It would be wise for anyone who has firsthand experience with potential complications arising from taking Zetia or Ezetimibe in any form to contact their health care provider as soon as possible, and to seriously consider contacting a Zetia lawyer in order to recoup any damages you or someone who has been affected by this medication could be entitled to through a Zetia law suit.