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My views first: The latest news item (as of today) is that the much touted PCSK9 inhibitor based Cholesterol / LDL lowering drug has produced lack luster results. At one time, this was considered the holy grail against fighting heart diseases (not necessarily heart failure which is a different category).
The results are out today (March 17, 2017). In the next post, let me share the content of a Science Magazine article as well as other controversial issues with the whole Pharma industry in the business of lowering LDL
Back in the 1970s, the sugar industry (driven by corn production and corn syrup lobby ) created a villain out of fat. While fat such as (Dalda kind ) hydrogenated fat is indeed very bad, the lobby made a villain out of all fat overall, which recently got reversed. The Cholesterol drug industry became a multi billion dollar industry with some Pharma companies wanting to make statin consumption a regular thing like consuming an aspirin for the whole world. However statins of late have been shown to increase incidence of Type 2 Diabetes.
Human trials involving large number of patients, mostly industry sponsored have always produced inconclusive results , if one were to ask regarding the effectiveness of these drugs on the mortality rates,
The latest lack luster results, has forced Pharma company Amgen to offer a new marketing ploy with all kinds of caveats offering money back guarantee if patients get a heart attack while on the PCSK9 inhibitor.
The real issue is that the Pharma company wants insurance companies to support these medications. However the price of this PCSK9 inhibitor is $14000 per year for patients (for possibly 12 injections) taken that too with a statin!
Here is how one publication (Cardio brief) stated the situation
"As it turns out the PCSK9 inhibitor saga ends not with a bang but a whimper. The results of the highly anticipated FOURIER trial show that the drugs work, though not as powerfully as many had hoped and expected. The question now will be whether the modest efficacy of the drugs is worth their immodest cost, at least for the vast majority of patients who are not at extreme high risk for cardiovascular disease.
FOURIER is the first cardiovascular outcomes trial with one of the new cholesterol-lowering PCSK9 inhibitors, in this case Amgen’s Repatha (evolocumab). A second trial, Odyssey Outcomes, is about a year behind FOURIER and is testing Praluent (alirocumab), the PCSK9 inhibitor from Sanofi and Regeneron, in 18,600 patients. Both drugs have generated enormous controversy due to their high cost and, until now, uncertain efficacy. In the absence of clinical data wide adoption of the drug has been resisted by many clinicians and, even more crucially, insurance companies and benefits managers."
The results are out today (March 17, 2017). In the next post, let me share the content of a Science Magazine article as well as other controversial issues with the whole Pharma industry in the business of lowering LDL
Back in the 1970s, the sugar industry (driven by corn production and corn syrup lobby ) created a villain out of fat. While fat such as (Dalda kind ) hydrogenated fat is indeed very bad, the lobby made a villain out of all fat overall, which recently got reversed. The Cholesterol drug industry became a multi billion dollar industry with some Pharma companies wanting to make statin consumption a regular thing like consuming an aspirin for the whole world. However statins of late have been shown to increase incidence of Type 2 Diabetes.
Human trials involving large number of patients, mostly industry sponsored have always produced inconclusive results , if one were to ask regarding the effectiveness of these drugs on the mortality rates,
The latest lack luster results, has forced Pharma company Amgen to offer a new marketing ploy with all kinds of caveats offering money back guarantee if patients get a heart attack while on the PCSK9 inhibitor.
The real issue is that the Pharma company wants insurance companies to support these medications. However the price of this PCSK9 inhibitor is $14000 per year for patients (for possibly 12 injections) taken that too with a statin!
Here is how one publication (Cardio brief) stated the situation
"As it turns out the PCSK9 inhibitor saga ends not with a bang but a whimper. The results of the highly anticipated FOURIER trial show that the drugs work, though not as powerfully as many had hoped and expected. The question now will be whether the modest efficacy of the drugs is worth their immodest cost, at least for the vast majority of patients who are not at extreme high risk for cardiovascular disease.
FOURIER is the first cardiovascular outcomes trial with one of the new cholesterol-lowering PCSK9 inhibitors, in this case Amgen’s Repatha (evolocumab). A second trial, Odyssey Outcomes, is about a year behind FOURIER and is testing Praluent (alirocumab), the PCSK9 inhibitor from Sanofi and Regeneron, in 18,600 patients. Both drugs have generated enormous controversy due to their high cost and, until now, uncertain efficacy. In the absence of clinical data wide adoption of the drug has been resisted by many clinicians and, even more crucially, insurance companies and benefits managers."