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The Skeptical Cardiologist's avatar

Like I said, we have cheaper and more effective alternatives. Likely a small niche.

Drug companies are going to keep making lots of money until the US can figure out a way to get drug prices under control.

As to doctors, the principal investigators on these types of studies don't receive any direct renumeration. And my sense most of them are dedicated to patient care and finding better treatments. But often there are paid talks, enhanced prestige, and other benefits for the thought and study leaders in these areas.

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Mark Kendrick's avatar

No lower incidence of fatal or non fatal strokes, reduced cardiovascular death, or reduced overall mortality. So what does it do? Pretty numbers? Make a lot of money for the drug company and the Doctor doing the study? Wishful thinking? Reduced stents that Ischemia says were not needed any way? Just Curious and maybe a little more skeptical. Please advise me if my thinking is wrong.

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David Brown's avatar

Some day I would like to see a headline that reads "Researchers Identify Cause of Clogged Arteries: Prevention Now Possible".

Google - Glen D. Lawrence saturated fat

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George Miller's avatar

Who can afford this great medication? Certainly not Medicare patients. U physicians that r all excited about new medications should consider and comment on prices that prevent many patients from using them.

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Ben Nichols's avatar

I hear you. These are things most of us don’t think about until we have a parent or ourselves are faced with a budget every month that now has ever inflating drug prices. UGGH... what’s crazy as it is definitely unique to the US. Pimpadelic acid is available in foreign countries for an incredibly small price.

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Ben Nichols's avatar

Bempedoic acid.... Pimpadelic acid went out of favor in the 70s

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GoodOlDan's avatar

After years of well-meaning docs attempting to "re-challenge" me with various statins (never ending well), finally one thought to prescribe ezetimibe (as a mono therapy). It actually has made a significant improvement in my lipids without the physical side effects and brain fog I experience on statins. Sounds like bempedoic acid might be something else to try. I'm also "sub-clinical hypothyroid" taking 50 mcg of levothyroxine daily and have borderline kidney disease (eGFR of 60) but (maybe) oddly improvements to to my lipid labs seem to correlate with an undesirable increase in TSH and a lowered eGFR. Go figure. I'm almost 70, and a recent PET stress test shows normal results with no apparent blockages, etc. It's almost as though my body is saying "I need my lipids, leave me alone!"

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