"New research boosts hope that a highly anticipated experimental class of cholesterol drugs can greatly lower the risk for heart attacks death and other heartrelated problems. The government will decide this summer whether to allow two of these drugs on the market.  People taking one of these drugs had half the risk of dying or suffering a heart problem compared to others who were given usual caretypically one of the statin drugs such as Lipitor or Zocor doctors found. Many people cannot tolerate statins or get enough help from them so new medicines are badly needed.  The results are really impressive and very encouraging for the new drugs said one independent expert Dr. Judith Hochman of NYU Langone Medical Center.  The studies were published online Sunday by the New England Journal of Medicine and discussed at an American College of Cardiology conference in San Diego. They are fresh analyses from older studies designed to look at how much the drugs lower cholesterol so they can only suggest that the drugs also lower heart problems not prove that point. Definitive studies will take about two more years so the federal Food and Drug Administration will be deciding the drugs fates with only results like this in hand.  The drugs are evolocumab which Amgen wants to call Repatha and alirocumab which Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi have named Praluent.  They lower LDL or bad cholesterol more powerfully and in a different way than existing drugs by blocking PCSK a substance that interferes with the livers ability to remove cholesterol from the blood.  Side effects remain a question though especially on thinking confusion and memoryproblems the FDA has already voiced concern about and asked the companies to track.  The problems affected only  or  percent of patients and may be temporary but they were twice as common among people taking one of the new drugs and need to be closely monitored as studies continue said Dr. Anthony DeMaria a University of California at San Diego heart specialist and past president of the American College of Cardiology. As a patient facing potential side effects the last one I want is one that affects the brain he said.  Dr. Eric Topol a cardiologist at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla California said the new results show an unquestionable signal of a potential safety issue. More side effects typically turn up once a drug is approved and used in a wider population he said.  Two other heart expertsDrs. Neil Stone and Daniel LloydJones of Northwestern University in Chicagowrote in the medical journal that it would be premature to endorse these drugs for widespread use until the definitive studies are done in a couple of years. Other drugs that initially seemed good failed when put to the most rigorous test they wrote.  Still the results so far suggest that the drugs appear to be on track to be important new medicines they wrote.  Dr. Clyde Yancy cardiology chief at Northwestern University in Chicago and a former American Heart Association president agreed.  Science has revealed a brand new approach to treating cholesterol and there is reasonable enthusiasm it will be a big boon to patients he said.  Tags Pharmaceuticals https Supply Chain https Technology https"