Last week’s news that new cholesterol guidelines were in place revved up industry chatter about what this could mean for the statin market. Yet a problem has surfaced: the calculator that would help doctors calculate patient risk is not working right.
The New York Times reports that the calculator “could mistakenly suggest that millions more people are candidates for statin drugs.” The NYT says the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology are saying that although the calculator is not running as expected, the tool is a sign of progress.
The two groups developed the new guidelines which focus less on cholesterol levels and more on heart disease/stroke risk if a patient has already made lifestyle changes (read: diet and exercise). The risks, as noted by CNN, include factors such as whether a patient is diabetic, and/or has heart disease. The NYT notes that target levels will still be important for patients with high LDL levels.
