Mevacor

“One of the constituents of red yeast is lovastatin, which is the same cholesterol-lowering drug called Mevacor manufactured by Merck, the pharmaceutical giant.”

Simon & Schuster: THE NATURAL REMEDY BIBLE

“Prescription drugs such as Mevacor and Pravachol provide more monacolin activity than red yeast rice, and are more effective for serious cholesterol problems.”

Newsweek: Food For The Heart

“Drug companies would certainly like you too, and they have been pushing statins such as Mevacor and Zocor from Merck, Pravachol, Pfizer's”

Forbes.com: News

“Previous attempts by Merck & Co . to sell an OTC version of the cholesterol drug Mevacor were unsuccessful because the FDA was concerned that patients wouldn't be equipped to make the right decision about whether to use such a product.”

The Wall Street Journal: Forget Generics, Pfizer Has Plenty of 'Lipitor for You'

“The FDA rejected several attempts by Merck, most recently in 2008, to introduce a nonprescription version of the statin Mevacor.”

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Looks At Lipitor Over Counter

“One study of an OTC Mevacor showed that 30% of patients who thought they should take the drug actually had less than a 5% risk of a heart attack or other cardiovascular event in the next 10 years, and were therefore unlikely to benefit, according to a 2008 article in the New England Journal of Medicine written by the chairwoman of the FDA advisory committee.”

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Looks At Lipitor Over Counter

“Many patients who thought they should take OTC Mevacor were outside the proposed target population of men over 45 and women over 55 who had high levels of bad cholesterol and met other criteria, the committee found.”

The Wall Street Journal: Pfizer Looks At Lipitor Over Counter

“For instance, we now have six statins Mevacor, Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, Lescol, and the newest, Crestor on the market to lower cholesterol, all variants of the first.”

But What About Drugs? « Gerry Canavan

“It can also interact with a long list of drugs, including lovastatin (Altoprev, Mevacor, and generic), clarithromycin (Biaxin and generic), and diltiazem (Cardizem and generic).”

Consumer Reports: Echinacea anti-cold claims hugely overrated