The cholesterol medicine Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin) has updated the Warnings and Precautions section of its safety label to include a risk of muscle disease and breakdown, according to a patient safety notice issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Controversy surrounding Vytorin continues to escalate, this time as federal and state prosecutors investigate Merck and Schering-Plough's conduct in marketing the drug. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, many government officials suspect that the companies' marketing of Vytorin may have been misleading and improper.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is investigating a possible link between the drug Vytorin, manufactured by Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough, and an increased risk of a variety of cancers. An FDA MedWatch Alert released Thursday, Aug. 21, informed healthcare professionals that the agency is investigating a report from the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) trial of a possible association between the use of Vytorin and a potentially increased incidence of cancer.