Medicine: New Ally Against Heart Disease

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Merck proceeded to develop lovastatin in earnest. Over the next four years the drug was tested on 750 people. Result: their LDL levels dropped by 19% to 39%. Although other drugs, such as cholestyramine and nicotinic acid, can reduce cholesterol levels significantly, they seem to work best on people whose levels are not very high. Lovastatin's greater effectiveness, Grundy explains, lies in its ability to inhibit cholesterol production in the liver, preventing further arterial blockage.

Drugs, however, are not a substitute for diet and exercise, warns Ira Goldberg, an endocrinologist at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. He has already uncovered backsliders among his lovastatin patients. "We saw a couple of people whose cholesterol levels had gone down 30% to 40% but then started creeping back up." Doctors are concerned that lifelong use of lovastatin, which could cost $1,000 or more a year, may cause some people to develop cataracts or liver problems. "The real test will be the next few years, when a lot of people are taking the drug," says UTHSCD's Brown. "Will there be unexpected side effects, and will we begin to see a drop in heart attacks?"

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CREDIT: TIME Diagram by Joe Lertola

CAPTION: Cholesterol produced in the liver can collect in the arteries, contributing to blockage.

DESCRIPTION: Color illustration shows how arteries can get clogged up by cholesterol.

CHART: TEXT NOT AVAILABLE

CREDIT: TIME Diagram by Joe Lertola

CAPTION: The new drug inhibits cholesterol production, reducing excess in the bloodstream.

DESCRIPTION: Color illustration shows how new drug lovastatin inhibits cholesterol production.