As a preventive cardiologist for over 25 years, I speak from experience to say that an investment in healthy lifestyle is priceless.
Unparalleled reductions in cholesterol levels are now possible with a new class of cholesterol medicine, a PCSK9 antibody, reported in one of the large national cardiology meetings recently. But this latest example of high-tech cholesterol treatment comes with a staggering price-tag, $14,000 a year for the new genetically engineered injectable. As a preventive cardiologist, I began to wonder if this is the best way to spend our money.
A few caveats first. This novel treatment for cholesterol promises to be a breakthrough for a small but significant group of people with a severe inherited form of high cholesterol for which effective treatments were previously lacking. And certainly, there is another group of people in need of extreme cholesterol lowering who stand to benefit from this pricey new drug because they cannot tolerate the side-effects from conventional treatment with statins.
