New Cholesterol Guidelines Muddy the Water about Who Should Take Cholesterol Drugs
The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released new guidelines on who should take cholesterol-lowering drugs. Currently about one-quarter of Americans over the age of 40 are taking a drug to lower their cholesterol.
According to The New York Times, the new guidelines were intended to simplify the process of deciding who should be on cholesterol-lowering medications. But experts fear it’s made the decision more complex:
It is not clear whether more or fewer people will end up taking the drugs under the new guidelines, experts said. Many women and African-Americans, who have a higher-than-average risk of stroke, may find themselves candidates for treatment, but others taking statins only to lower LDL cholesterol to target levels may no longer need them.
Experts also worry that the new guidelines could slow the development of newer cholesterol-lowering drugs currently in the pipeline.
The previous guidelines put such a strong emphasis on lowering cholesterol levels by specific amounts that patients who did not hit their target levels just by taking statins often were prescribed additional drugs…But the new guidelines say doctors should no longer prescribe those extra medicines because they have never been shown to prevent heart attacks or strokes.
Finally, one expert believes the new guidelines will benefit no one — but drug companies.
This announcement is not a result of a sudden epidemic of heart disease, nor is it based on new data showing the benefits of lower cholesterol. Instead, it is a consequence of simply expanding the definition of who should take the drugs — a decision that will benefit the pharmaceutical industry more than anyone else.
“The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released new guidelines”
When have their guidelines ever clarified anything? Most of what they have is based on un-repeatable and refuted studies.
BMI is a guideline too, and its absolutely useless
“According to The New York Times, the new guidelines were intended to simplify the process of deciding who should be on cholesterol-lowering medications. But experts fear it’s made the decision more complex”
Once again, the Times is a shill for the establishment.
What we don’t need is more people on more medication!
With all the controlled medications Doctors are writing its preventing us from rising against the government!
“It is not clear whether more or fewer people will end up taking the drugs under the new guidelines, experts said.”
The experts aren’t really helping us a lot then.
They prefer to sit back and watch the world burn
“but others taking statins only to lower LDL cholesterol to target levels may no longer need them.”
This just seems odd. You were unwell enough to take medicine before, but new guidelines say you’re now healthy. Not sure if I buy that.
“Experts also worry that the new guidelines could slow the development of newer cholesterol-lowering drugs currently in the pipeline.”
Oh no! Not our precious drug development! Please don’t take away the drugs that the FDA will probably reject anyway!
“But the new guidelines say doctors should no longer prescribe those extra medicines because they have never been shown to prevent heart attacks or strokes.”
This should be prime evidence to the AHA that it isn’t cholesterol that causes heart attacks, but inflammation combined with cholesterol. Yet that would mean admitting they were wrong for so many years.
I find it interesting that in the process of recommending cholesterol drugs, these two organizations are also forgoing actual targets for cholesterol. Considering that Americans already prone to prescription non-adherence, these new guidelines would game this phenomenon worse.
Something else that intrigues me about this decision. The guidelines eliminate the need for periodic blood tests. Merck had tried to get Mevacor (i.e. Lovastatin) approved for over-the-counter sales three times in the past decade and was turned down by the FDA on all three occasions. Part of the reasons member of the FDA advisory committees cited was that people taking OTC statins might adequately self-diagnosis. They may also forgo periodic blood tests for cholesterol and for liver enzymes.