Heart drug’s safety scrutinized

A study that linked the heart drug Vytorin to excess cancer deaths has provoked controversy among heart specialists worried that the drug's risks may outweigh its benefits. The study, called SEAS, was designed to test whether Vytorin could prevent severe, age-related heart valve problems by reducing cholesterol. But lead investigator Terje Pedersen of Ulleval University Hospital reported that the study turned up a link to cancer. At that same session, Oxford University experts released a separate analysis comparing SEAS data with two other ongoing studies and concluded that the cancer link was not credible.