Regulators say patients taking the 80-milligram dose of /*Zocor*/ have a higher risk of muscle damage than patients taking lower doses of the drug or similar medications.
The 80-milligram dose should be continued only in patients who have been taking it for more than a year without signs of injury. The agency says new patients should start on a lower dose, the agency said in an online statement.
More than 2.1 million patients in the U.S. received a prescription for Zocor or a generic equivalent last year, according to the FDA.
