Experimental Cholesterol Drug Could Help Millions
In Health Watch, doctors are excited about a new cholesterol drug. They say it could eventually help millions of Americans control their cholesterol levels.
About one in six American adults have high cholesterol. If untreated, it can lead to heart disease, stroke or a heart attack.
An experimental pill called evacetrapib raises good cholesterol while lowering bad cholesterol.
At the highest dose, the new drug was able to raise good cholesterol levels by nearly 130 percent and lower bad cholesterol by a third.
Testing on a similar drug was stopped because it raised blood pressure levels.
So far, this new cholesterol pill doesn't seem to have serious side effects, but longer term testing is still needed.
