Simvastatin, like other statins, occasionally causes myopathy manifested as muscle pain, tenderness or weakness with creatinine kinase (CK), a protein enzyme, above ten times the upper limit of normal (ULN). Myopathy sometimes takes the form of rhabdo with or without acute renal failure secondary to myoglobinuria, and rare fatalities have occurred.

The risk of myopathy can be increased by high levels of statin activity in plasma. Predisposing factors for myopathy include advanced age (65+ years), uncontrolled hypothyroidism, and renal impairment.

On March 12, 2010, Zocor revised its label based on interim results from an ongoing clinical trial. The newly revised label says: 1) patients of Chinese descent should not receive simvastatin 80 mg with cholesterol-modifying doses of niacin-containing products (like Simcor); 2) caution is to be used when such patients are treated with 40 mg. or less in combination with cholesterol-modifying doses of niacin-containing products; and 3) healthcare professionals are to avoid prescribing simvastatin doses greater than 40 mg. daily when patients are taking the medication diltiazem (to treat high blood pressure and migraine headaches), due to an increased risk for myopathy.

People in Central Pa. taking Zocor should be on the alert regarding 80 mg doses of simvastatin and Zocor statin and Vytorin 10/80 which has 10 mg of Zetia plus 80 mg Zocor.

Central Pa. residents: Have you or your beloved family member suffered kidney damage, kidney failure, or serious muscle injury because of Zocor or the generic simvastatin? If the answer is yes, please take action and contact personal injury law firm Anapol Schwartz, the Central Pa. law firm who aggressively goes after unsafe drugs and big pharmaceutical companies.