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Cholesterol Drugs (Statins)
Under Fire as Ineffective and Possibly Dangerous
Several
recent articles call into question the safety and effectiveness of the
group of drugs designed to lower cholesterol known as Statins. Statin
drugs are a class of drugs that that are supposed to lower cholesterol
levels by blocking enzymes that are essential to cholesterol production.
Among the statin drugs are: Lipitor (atorvastatin), Pravachol (pravastatin),
Zocor (simvastatin), Mevacor (lovastatin), Lescol (fluvastatin), Baycol (Cerivastatin)
(This drug has been recalled).
From the Canadian publication First Word, the
September 9, 2003 issue starts off by saying, "A group of Canadian
researchers from the University of British Columbia warns that statins may
do as much harm as good." Dr. Jim Wright, said that there appears to be
almost no preventive benefit. The data showed that there was a 1.4 percent
reduction in the risk of heart attack and stroke over a three- to
five-year period, a news source reports. This would translate, Wright
said, into a doctor having to treat 71 patients until one benefits. Side
effects of the statins were the main concern among the Canadian
researchers. These side effects can include, Fever, Muscle Cramps, Stomach
Pain, Fatigue, Constipation, Diarrhea, Dizziness, Gas, Skin rash, Nausea.
On the heals of the Canadian study a British study
reported on October 5, 2003 in the British Reuters, that states, "Half of
British heart disease patients failed to get their cholesterol down to
recommended levels after taking cholesterol-lowering statin drugs." Dr.
Adrian Brady, consultant cardiologist at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, told a
meeting of the Primary Care Cardiovascular Society in Dublin that only 48
percent of 14,000 patients evaluated in a UK study reached national
cholesterol goals. One of these drugs, Lipitor, produced by Pfizer Inc's,
is now the world's top-selling medicine with annual sales of $8 billion.
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