Statins are a class of drugs that lower cholesterol levels, and, the reasoning goes, should reduce the risk of heart attack. But the reality has been less illuminating than the promise. This morning word of another study showing that the popular statins containing ezetemibe, Vytorin and Zetia, do not lower the risk of heart disease. As the LA Times reports:

For the second time in as many years, a large clinical trial has found that the key ingredient in the heavily advertised drug Vytorin provides little or no benefit in preventing heart disease compared to a competing product. The ingredient is ezetemibe, which blocks the absorption of cholesterol in the intestines. It is sold alone under the brand name Zetia or in combination with the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin under the brand name Vytorin. The combination of drugs has been shown to reduce cholesterol more than simvastatin alone, but that apparently does not translate into a lower risk of heart disease.

Statins are often credited with a number of unpleasant side effects, including uncomfortable muscle aches. And evidence is mounting that while they may lower LDL cholesterol numbers, they aren’t providing the reduction in heart attacks that “should” result.

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