In this 120th episode I discuss what I believe are shenanigans that permeate the pharmaceutical world and drive drug sales. For the purposes of this episode I focus on Statin therapy medications, though tricks like this are not rare in the system.
I will discuss a little about how Statin medications work to lower Cholesterol, some common side effects and nutrient depletion they often cause, and I attempt to explain how certain statistical tricks are used to hoodwink and manipulate a person's belief of the benefits of Statin medications.
References:
Have the benefits of statins been overstated?
https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/have-the-benefits-of-statins-been-
overstated#:~:text=The%20relative%20risk%20reduction%20for%20those%20taking,str
oke%20was%200.8%%2C%201.3%%20and%200.4%%20respectively.
Evaluating the Association Between Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Reduction and
Relative and Absolute Effects of Statin Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-
analysis
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2790055
Communicating clinical trial outcomes: Effects of presentation method on physicians’
evaluations of new treatments
Chrome-
extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://sjdm.org/journal/12/12913/jdm129
13.pdf
Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statin-
side-effects/art-
20046013#:~:text=Neurological%20side%20effects,talking%20to%20your%20healthcar
e%20professional.
The case for statins: has it really been made?
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1079612/
