Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK)

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  • commenter
    anonymous41
    Jul 22 09:22 PM
    Clarifying the Vytorin Situation: Three Key Questions [view article]
    Vytorin DID not result in decrease in intimal thickening of carotid arteries in edperimental group. #2) Increased incidence in cancer in experimental group. Perhaps the following excerpt will get your attention:

    www.pubmedcentral.nih....
    Mark R. Goldstein, et al:

    "...Close inspection of statin trials reveal the specific populations at risk for the development of incident cancer with statin treatment. These include the elderly8–10 and people with a history of breast or prostate cancer11,12. Furthermore, statin-treated individuals undergoing immunotherapy for cancer may be at increased risk for worsening cancer13.

    The elderly are relatively immunosuppressed and are more likely to harbour occult cancers14. In the prosper (Prospective Study of Pravastatin in the Elderly at Risk) trial8, a 3.2-year prospective study of pravastatin for cardiovascular disease prevention in the elderly (mean age at trial entry: 75 years) at high risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer incidence was significantly increased in subjects randomized to pravastatin. In fact, the increase in cancer mortality equalled in magnitude the decrease in cardiovascular disease mortality in the statin-treated patients, leaving all-cause mortality unchanged. Likewise, post hoc analysis of the lipid study9, a 6-year prospective trial of pravastatin in individuals with cardiovascular disease, revealed a significant increase in cancer incidence in the elderly subjects (age: 65–75 years) randomized to pravastatin. In a secondary analysis of the tnt (Treating to New Targets) study10, elderly subjects randomized to high-dose atorvastatin (80 mg daily) versus low-dose atorvastatin (10 mg daily) demonstrated a trend toward increased death, largely from an increase in cancer mortality. Therefore, the increase in incident cancer in the elderly might be dose-related. It is highly plausible that the elderly are particularly sensitive to a statin-induced increase in Tregs, further impairing their immune response to cancer.

    An alarming increase in breast cancer incidence, some of which were recurrences, was seen in women randomized to pravastatin in the care trial11 Thereafter, cancer was an exclusion criterion in randomized statin trials. In clinical practice, however, it is not infrequent to find an association between recurrence of breast cancer and concurrent statin therapy15. Long-term follow-up (10 years after trial completion) of woscops (West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study), a 5-year prospective trial of pravastatin in hypercholesterolemic men, revealed an increase in prostate cancer in the men who were randomized to pravastatin therapy12. That finding indicates that cancers may become evident a decade or more after treatment with statins. Treg increases have been associated with both breast and prostate cancers16,17, and therefore, it is highly plausible that the increase in cancers seen with statin therapy is related to a statin-induced increase in Tregs.

    Statin therapy has been associated with tumour progression leading to radical cystectomy in patients treated for bladder cancer with bacille Calmette–Guérin immunotherapy13. That association may be likewise due to a statin-induced increase in Tregs, resulting in impaired host antitumour immunity.

    Statin trials have typically randomized subjects free of prevalent cancers and have been about 5 years in duration. Long-term follow-up data are limited, particularly for the development of cancer. Statins are now promoted for widespread use in adults of all ages and at high doses18, potentially for decades. Importantly, they are used in individuals with other significant comorbidities such as cancer. Unfortunately, the post-market surveillance of drugs has been poor19. Because cancer is highly prevalent in the population, particularly in the elderly, a statin-induced increase in cancer incidence will likely go unrecognized..."

    you may read the rest of the article at your leisure.....

    Reply
  • commenter
    BSdetective
    Jul 22 08:42 PM
    HPC Vaccine Inspires Yellow Health Journalism [view article]
    Right out of the gate Jeff reveals his bias in that he's married to a dr. & is the son of a dr. We can no more trust his opinion to be unbiased than he does the writer of the article he criticizes. I wonder if Jeff will get the gardasil vaccine that's currently in production for *MEN*. Report back to us when you do, Jeff. Reply
  • commenter
    morgan77
    Jul 22 06:54 PM
    Tuesday Options Update: MRK, SNDK, TXN, TAP, GTXI, SPF, BRCD, XLF [view article]
    It's always Darkest before the Dawn (of a recession).

    I don't think we're heading for a recovery... Check out this article. Gloomy but I think the guy has a point- www.greenfaucet.com/th...     Reply
  • commenter
    SA Editor
    Eli Hoffmann
    Jul 22 04:35 PM
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    PJ568, thanks for your feedback. We largely report adjusted earnings. This is due to the fact that analyst consensus estimates, which are the gauge by which many judge whether a given company has beaten or missed expectations, are formulated based on adjusted earnings. Reply
  • commenter
    Tom B
    Jul 22 03:38 PM
    Roche's Genentech Offer Sends Ripples Through Biotech [view article]
    If Roche versus DNA doesn't progress, expect professional dweeb carl Icahn to come in and stamp his feet, and pound his fists, and hold his breath until some under-worked reporter converts his simple-minded proposals into a quick headline. Reply
  • commenter
    PJ568
    Jul 22 03:10 PM
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    Many of the numbers referenced above appear to be adjusted and not actual. WB and BSX are two that jumped out as being off. One would expect adequate disclosure from the SA Editor about the numbers being referenced. Constantly reporting and discussing adjusted numbers is a sign of weakness that shouldn't be ignored. Reply
  • commenter
    morgan77
    Jul 22 12:00 PM
    Monday Options Outlook: SGP, MRK, AZN, AMGN, CELG, BBH, BAC, KRE, XLF [view article]
    Saw that the housing sector was the big winner last week and did a little more research on it. This article (www.greenfaucet.com/fa...) argues that housing may finally have reached a bottom. Check it out if you're interested in buying. Reply
  • commenter
    Tenbern
    Jul 22 11:01 AM
    Investing in Dividend Paying Companies [view article]
    Good info, thanks
    Reply
  • commenter
    RightinSanFr
    ancisco
    Jul 22 10:48 AM
    My Website
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    It is amazing that so much of the financial health of the western world hinges on the performance of these public / private entities Fannie and Freddie. I was once a stockholder (liked the dividend), but sold when it became apparent to me a few years ago that I did not understand who the management worked for. If they are a cornerstone of the economy, the performance of their management needs to be judged by a standard of security, not growth of EPS, which drove them away from their government mission toward chasing the returns of sub-prime loans. Then the government wanted them to broaden the size of loans that they would handle. Despite hating a larger role for government, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that they neeed to be publicly owned and directed. Ugh. I can't believe that I said that. Reply
  • commenter
    anon one
    Jul 22 10:46 AM
    HPC Vaccine Inspires Yellow Health Journalism [view article]
    the vaccine trials for gardasil compared the vaccine injection with a 'placebo' that was a heavy dose of aluminum (gardasil also contains one of the highest amounts of aluminum of any vaccine). normally the placebo should be a saline injection...so gardasil may not show a much higher number of adverse events than their placebo but versus a true placebo/saline injection the events are much higher. this is a drug company finding a way to skew testing and results in its favor for the sake of profit. Reply
  • commenter
    Marie RN/30
    years
    Jul 22 10:27 AM
    HPC Vaccine Inspires Yellow Health Journalism [view article]
    . Interesting..as a mother nurse and female that had cervical cancer i now feel very differently aboput the vaccine for prevention...i had it administered to my 15 yr old daughter. She has no allergies, on no medication, and no family history on mother or fathers side of seizures. My daughter is healthy 120 lb female who swims 5 days a week, plays soccer and the violin. She had a violent grand mal seizure lasting 3 minutes, 4 days after the vaccine. She felt dizzy immediatly after the vaccine and the day before the seizure my husband noticed an enlarged lymph node under the clavicle on her right side... She was brought to the emergency room after the seizure, where all bloodwork was normal Drug screen, wbc, smac. Her CT of the head was normal...and she slept alot after the episode. My question now, is why are mothers giving vaccines to there daughters when there are other options. Probably like me we are not adequately informed i was told that my daughter may feel a little dizzy. If you check out the MERK scite for this drug they mention nothing re SEIZURE...What mother whould put there daughter at that kind of risk and why are we not being informed that routine pap testing if done and the treatment yeilds a high cure rate... before being given the vaccine. The high incidence of deaths and problems related to this is associated with those in countries that do no routinely do pap testing...or for women who are choosing not to do routine testing. i found additional info on canadian web scites re these adverse effects. Yes i will go as far as to say ok people do pass out from administration of any needle or bloodwork...but SEIZURE??? We are moving forward with having a VAERS= Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System Report done i choose for it to be done by the peditrician's office that gave the vaccine...i am requesting a copy of the report and the vaccine log which includes the lot number of the vaccine given to my daughter. Rhigh now i don't know of any other way to inform moms re the lethal side effects of this vaccine. I so grateful my daughter did not have a seizure while in the pool... we live in Rhinebeck New York. Reply
  • commenter
    biomedlives
    Jul 22 09:44 AM
    HPC Vaccine Inspires Yellow Health Journalism [view article]
    JB is absolutely correct in pointing out that it's necessary to evaluate anectdotal reports of adverse events in light of the characteristics of the adverse events reporting system and of the number of people who have received gardasil. I'm glad the vaccine is available. Reply
  • commenter
    notsosmart
    Jul 22 09:09 AM
    My Website
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    why pay attention to moody,s? why pay attention to anybody? all have an agenda & its not to put money in your pocket.once you know that selfserving lying & greed is the game you should think for yourself. Reply
  • commenter
    Ishortyou
    Jul 22 07:38 AM
    Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News [view article]
    well looks like Moody's go unlished playing the rating game again without foundation or facts and just based on speculation. They need to reinstate triple A ratings on some of the bond insurers that were downgraded unjustifiably Reply
  • commenter
    pletkam
    Jul 21 10:10 PM
    HPC Vaccine Inspires Yellow Health Journalism [view article]
    So easy to short a stock without the required uptick rule-so easy to write a scary story about gardasil.Wasn,t the mercury taken out of mmr vaccine years ago and now 6 genes are found linked to autism-get the hand gun out.vytorin did reduce the number of heart attacks , strokes and need for coronary bypasses so why not emphasis this and not the statistically insignificant cancer risk that was found Reply

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