The first links between cholesterol and heart disease were correlational, of course. Then statins, which improved cholesterol levels, turned out to reduce heart disease — experimental evidence of a connection. This strengthened the case for causality, but Malcolm Kendrick argued, based on lots of other evidence, that the heart-disease lowering effect of statins was due to other effects of the drugs, not their cholesterol-lowering properties. Now we have this:
Pfizer stopped development of its experimental cholesterol drug torcetrapib in December 2006, when a trial involving 15,000 patients showed that the medicine caused heart attacks and strokes. That trial — somewhat unusual in that it was conducted before Pfizer sought F.D.A. approval — also showed that torcetrapib lowered LDL cholesterol while raising HDL, or good cholesterol.
This supports Kendrick’s argument. It shows that drugs can have two effects: (a) on heart disease and (b) on cholesterol.
Thanks to Dave Lull.
Addendum. Do cholesterol drugs do any good?
I am on statins, blood pressure meds and baby aspirin. When I asked my doctor if we really had good scientific evidence that the statins were reducing heart disease, he said that something was but that we really didn’t know what. People were definitely living longer; he said it could be statins, blood pressure meds — it could be that people are exercising more. No one could be sure. I appreciated his frankness.
I’d place my bet on exerise, but I’m continuing with the other stuff to be safe…