Cholesterol drug’s new potential is questioned
NEW YORK — With the government’s blessing, drug giant
Some medical specialists question whether this is a healthy move.
They point to mounting concern that cholesterol medications — known as statins and already the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States — may not be as safe a preventive medicine as previously believed for people who are at low risk of heart attacks or strokes.
Statins have been credited with saving thousands of lives every year with relatively few side effects, and some doctors endorse the drug’s broader use. But for healthy people who would take statins largely as prevention — which would be the case for the new category of Crestor patients — other specialists suggest the benefits may not outweigh the potential side effects.
Among the risks raising new concerns, recently published evidence indicates that statins could raise a person’s risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
“It’s a good thing to be skeptical about whether there may be long-term harm from healthy people taking a drug like this,’’ said Dr. Mark A. Hlatky, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford medical school.
In addition, the blood test being used to identify the new statin candidates measures the degree of inflammation in the body, but there is no consensus in that inflammation is a direct cause of cardiovascular problems.
