Zocor Lawsuit Information Center

In a February 2012 drug safety communication, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it had determined that the hypolipidemic (anti-cholesterol) drug, Zocor (simvastatin), might cause serious side effects in users, including an increased risk of myopathy (i.e., muscle disease) along with rhabdomyolysis, a condition that results in the release of muscle fibers into the bloodstream and can lead to kidney failure. Researchers are also concerned the drug is a risk factor for diabetes, liver injury, and memory loss. The FDA altered Zocor’s drug label accordingly.

In an earlier drug safety communication, dated June 2011, the FDA stated that because of the myopathy risks, patients who are using 80mg of Zocor and are starting another heart or cholesterol drug must reduce their Zocor dosage to less than 80mg. The FDA further maintains that while people who have taken 80mg daily doses of Zocor for at least 12 months and have not displayed symptoms of myopathy can remain on Zocor, new users should be started on a lower dosage.

The Rottenstein Law Group is now accepting Zocor lawsuit claims.

What Is Zocor and What Is It Prescribed For?

Made and sold by American pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., Zocor was approved by the FDA for the treatment of low density lipid (referred to as “LDL”) cholesterol on December 23, 1991, and it is now available generically. It is a member of the statin class of anti-cholesterol drugs that scientists first started investigating in the 1950s. Like all statins, Zocor prevents the metabolic creation of cholesterol by blocking critical enzymes.

Merck sells Zocor in oral tablets ranging from 5mg to 80mg in strength.

RLG Lawyers Will Make Things Easier

The FDA has not ordered Merck to recall Zocor, and the drug remains on the market. Though in June 2011, the FDA did issue a safety communication advising doctors to stop prescribing 80mg dosages of Zocor or its generic equivalent, 2.1 million people were prescribed that dose—either in the form of a pure Zocor pill or in the form of a pill that, like Vytorin, combines Zocor or its generic equivalent with some other drug—in 2010 alone.

If you believe that you or someone you love has developed a muscle disease or some other adverse side effect as a result of taking Zocor, submit this simple secure form for a free and confidential evaluation to learn more about your eligibility to file an Zocor lawsuit. Legal action may be the best way to recover for your medical expenses and pain and suffering.

The Zocor lawyers at the Rottenstein Law Group do everything we can to streamline the process of helping muscle and kidney disease sufferers to get the compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages they deserve. We will file a Zocor lawsuit on your behalf if necessary.