Article: The Smart Take on Statins; Are cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you? That depends.

Byline: Deborah Kotz

Until a few weeks ago, Larry Cohen believed he'd finally figured out how to beat his high cholesterol and stave off heart disease. Zocor, a statin that works by blocking the production of cholesterol in the liver, had brought his levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol down from a whopping 195 milligrams per deciliter to a still-disappointing 125. Next, on Vytorin, a combination of Zocor and a nonstatin drug that reduces the absorption of cholesterol in the gut, he dropped to a desirable 98 mg/dL. Then came word that Vytorin is no better at preventing plaque buildup in the arteries than Zocor. Suddenly, Cohen and millions of other people faced two big ...

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