My reader comes up with more information on PSCK9:
I can’t speak to how well PCSK9 works on damaged hearts, because my husband’s artery blockage was discovered before any heart damage (perhaps just a few days before, given that they rushed him into surgery on a SUNDAY). He was extremely lucky to have a wonderful GP and great cardio team at the U of M. … from what I’ve read, PCSK9 dramatically reduces cholesterol levels for virtually everyone who takes it. His cardiologist, the brilliant Dr. Daniel Duprez, feels that its use is directly responsible for the dramatic drop in cardiac surgery (i.e., repairing blockage and heart damage).
As for PCSK9 being affordable … that’s a relative concept. In the US, it costs $14,000 a month. It’s clearly more affordable in Europe, where it has been approved for a while. Dr. Duprez feels that the US price will drop when American usage is more common. But that won’t happen until the insurance companies allow more people to use it. It’s a Catch-22.
For more PCSK9 information, see Dr. Duprez’s report, “Clinical efficacy and safety of evolocumab for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol reduction”: https://www.dovepress.com/clinical-efficacy-and-safety-of…
For a cheaper, more accessible alternative to statins, Dr. Duprez “kind of” recommended foods with added plant sterols/stanols. (He’s not into fortified foods, but if insurance won’t pay for drugs and you can’t tolerate statins, well….. ) We’ve tried the products from Step One Foods, which I really like because they’re all real food. Unfortunately, my speshul snowflake hubby has a reaction to the stanols/sterols as well. But most people don’t. More info here: https://www.steponefoods.com/…/alternatives-to-statin…
