Seems that people taking Merck & Co. (NYSE:MRK) Zocor, or any one of the many generic versions (simvastatin), are getting significantly worse sleep quality than those taking Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) Pravochol (pravastatin).
A study by Beatrice Golomb, lead author and an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, found that three times as many patients on simvastatin found their sleep quality decreased once started on the drug as compared to those on pravastatin. The study followed 1,016 patients for 6 months who were taking either 20 mg of simvastatin, 40 mg of pravastatin or a placebo.
"A significantly greater number of individuals taking simvastatin reported sleep problems than those taking either pravastatin or the placebo,'' said Golomb.
The difference, and resulting sleep quality, may be as a result of the way they dissolve in the body. Zocor is able to dissolve in fats which allows it to penetrate the barrier that keeps toxins out of the brain. Pravachol dissolves in water and thus is unable to get into the brain.
The study was funded by The National Institute of Health.
[Source: Bloomberg]
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