Use Of Cholesterol Drugs By Patients Without High Cholesterol Level

Use Of Cholesterol Drugs By Patients Without High Cholesterol Level.
When the US Food and Drug Administration in February 2010 approved the use of the cholesterol-lowering statin remedy Crestor for some populace with regular cholesterol levels, cardiologist Dr Steven E Nissen cheered the decision. "You have to go with the ordered evidence," said Nissen, who is chairman of cardiovascular pharmaceutical at the Cleveland Clinic. "A clinical trial was done and there was a substantial reduction in morbidity and mortality in clan treated with this drug".

But Dr Mark A Hlatky, a professor of condition research and policy and medicine at Stanford University, has expressed doubts about the FDA move. He worries that more citizenry will rely on a pill rather than diet and exercise to cut their heart risk, and also points to studies linking statins such as Crestor to muscle troubles and even diabetes. "I haven't seen anything that changes my take offence at about that".

So, will millions of fine fettle Americans soon join the millions of less-than-healthy society who already take these blockbuster drugs? The FDA's Feb 9 approval of expanded use of rosuvastatin (Crestor) was based on results of the JUPITER study, which affected more than 18000 people and was financed by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca. People in the distress who took the drug for an average of 1,9 years had a 44 percent further risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems compared to those who took a placebo - results so choice that the trial was cut short. Based on JUPITER, an FDA warning committee voted 12 to 4 in December to approve widened use of the drug.

The ancestors in the trial included men over 50 and women over 60 with normal or near-normal cholesterol levels. However, these individuals did have exorbitant levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation that has also been linked to cardiovascular problems. They also had at least one other nerve risk factor, such as obesity or high blood pressure.

For that definite group, Crestor makes sense. "Over a five-year period of time, you abort one death or minor stroke for every 25 people treated". Whether or not others with normal cholesterol should fasten on Crestor or another statin remains unclear. "Not everyone with normal cholesterol should be treated. You should give it to multitude with a high enough risk".