It never occurs to Gina Kolata, who has been on this beat forever, that this is anything but a perfectly sensible way to develop and distribute a
potentially life-extending drug.
The discovery of the mutation and of the two women with their dazzlingly low LDL levels has set off one of the greatest medical chases ever. It is a fevered race among three pharmaceutical companies, Amgen, Pfizer and Sanofi, to test and win approval for a drug that mimics the effects of the mutation, drives LDL levels to new lows and prevents heart attacks. All three companies have drugs in clinical trials and report that their results, so far, are exciting.
“This is our top priority,” said Dr. Andrew Plump, the head of translational medicine at Sanofi. “Nothing else we are doing has the same public health impact.”
If it seems perfectly reasonable to you, too, read
Dean Baker and his book, T
he End of Loser Liberalism.
