Ask the Doctors: June 2016

It is important to recognize a few things about these drugs. They have been shown to consistently lower LDL cholesterol by over 50 percent with good tolerance. However, studies to examine long-term safety and ability to reduce adverse heart and vascular events are still ongoing. Due to the absence of clinical trials demonstrating long-term benefit they are approved only for use in certain high-risk patients. Lastly, the drugs are expensive, costing up to $14,000 a year.