Ensure cure worth the cost: Your Say

Letter to the editor:

I read "New cholesterol-lowering drugs hold promise, at a huge projected price tag" and was appalled by what this new drug might cost. Doctors tell us, and Paste BN reiterated in its article, that statin drugs cut levels of bad cholesterol, or LDL, by 30% to 50%. Also, they say statins lower the risk of heart attack by 30%. But 30% of what? If you have a 100% chance of a heart attack without statins, then I would take it in an instant. But the truth is that many people have a much lower risk.

If the Food and Drug Administration approves this drug, it should also monitor (at $10,000 a year for life) whether it is really needed in the patients who take it. The FDA should do its job and make sure that the cure is not worse than the disease.

Howard Kirshenbaum; Deerfield, Ill.

Comments from Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

Unfortunately for me, I can't take statins. I'm one of a small percentage who cannot tolerate them. Meanwhile, this new drug class can also help another specific group of patients with an inherited condition that causes very high LDL levels. It costs $10,000 per year. Oh well, my blood pressure pills used to cost $180 per month, but now they're under $100. Prices come down when the drug goes generic.

— Stephen Villano

This is a crock: $10,000 per year for life for an unproven promise. Big Pharma is ruining this country.

— KJ VanderMeeden

I don't want to sound heartless, but I do feel that at some point the costs need to be considered. I feel many folks would not need drugs if they exercised most days and avoided foods that contribute to their condition. But perhaps prices will come down in time.

— Peter Stein