HDL Drug Madness

Once again, I ask the question, "Has the world gone mad?"  The answer to that question is not as easy as you think at times.  I've already covered how it makes no sense to risk muscle damage with statins when you can just go on a Low Fat Diet!

Now we are seeing Big Pharma engaging in similar madness with HDL.  With all the side effects involved, statins have simply not had the impact that they should have.  Plus, they really do not treat the root cause of the issue:  a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet.  Popping a pill isn't going to solve those problems.

So what is the currently solution du joir?  Now pharmaceutical companies are hoping to find a pill that will magically raise HDL and improve heart outcomes.  HDL, of course, is our "good cholesterol" and helps to ferry away nasty particles attacking our arteries among other things.  Many studies have shown that low HDL is a risk factor for cardiovascular outcomes, so why not just raise HDL with a pill and make a billion dollars?

So far this road has been littered with failures, even deaths.  Business Week covered how a 2003 HDL-boosting drug in clinical trials for Pfizer actually reduced arterial plaque. [] However, it was very hard to manufacture and was eventually dropped.

Then came Pfizer's wonder drug torcetrapib.  This drug messed with an enzyme that breaks down HDL, thus keeping it in the system longer, and resulted in 60% more deaths during testing.  That's right - instead of saving lives, this drug likely took lives.

Oy vay!  To this I can only ask the question, "Why not just exercise?"  Or, if you're really a dedicated couch potato, why not have a drink or two or some cranberry juice?  I list many Good Ways to Increase HDL  that are natural and completely safe and will help your brain, appearance and energy levels while they're at it.  Exercise, in particular, will yield a nice boost in HDL and it's just what the doctor ordered!

None of these Natural Ways to Increase HDL are any secret to the medical establishment, yet it is never mentioned in any publication I have seen.  Nor, most tragically, is it usually mentioned in the doctor's office. Once again, a pill is not the answer.

In the meantime, the drug companies are testing drugs that will build HDL through 1) increasing APOA-1, a precursor to HDL, 2) decreasing enzymes (CETP Inhibitors) that break down HDL and 3) HDL Mimetics that mimic HDL.  Again, why not just pick up a tennis racket or put yourself on a treadmill for a few hours each week?  Will the madness ever end?

REFERENCES:

1) Bloomberg Business Week, Mar 22 and 29, p. 70