The new cholesterol-lowering drugs: Just say no

We now have two new drugs to lower our cholesterol: Praluent and Repatha. They cost $14,000 a year, a ridiculous sum (see my post on overcharging for drugs). The new drugs were developed as a substitute for statins, such as Lipitor, which many people quit taking because of the side effects—mostly muscle weakness and cramps (death is also a possibility). These side effects are a result of the way in which statins lower cholesterol, namely, by interrupting the chain of events by which your liver makes cholesterol. One substance that gets depleted in this process is co-enzyme Q10. Depletion of CoQ10 is the cause of the muscle problems, as I explained in an in an earlier post. 

So the new drugs lower cholesterol in a different way: they block a substance called PCSK9, which interferes with the liver’s ability to remove cholesterol from the blood. The new drugs have definitely been shown to lower cholesterol, but it’s not known whether they prevent heart attacks, strokes or death. The new drugs may have value for people with familial hypercholesterolemia (extremely high cholesterol), but otherwise I think that their only benefit is to the companies who manufacture them. Like statins, these are drugs for people to take for a lifetime—hence their importance to the drug companies.

A nonprofit organization called the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review evaluates pharmaceutical costs based on the health benefits the drugs provide. They concluded that the new drugs should cost “only” about $2,000. If you’re interested in this analysis, which is a bit complicated, this article explains how they do it. 

I would never take a cholesterol-lowering drug no matter how low the cost, as I explained in an earlier post. I don’t worry about my cholesterol and refuse to have it tested. I see no value in lowering it and don’t think it’s a good idea to mess with these finely-tuned processes. Our bodies make cholesterol for a purpose. Let it be.

Next week: Prostate screening--yes or no?

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