Dream Team

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

HSI e-Alert - Dream Team

Mon, 14 Mar 2005 09:13:43 -0500

HSI e-Alert - Dream Team

 

 

 

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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March 14, 2005

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Dear Reader,

 

Can you guess what a torcetrapib is?

 

Maybe the name of a dinosaur? Or perhaps a remote village in the

Himalayas?

 

An odd, tongue-twisting word like that could only be one thing: a new

drug. Actually, torcetrapib is the " active ingredient " name of the

drug. And someday, if everything goes as planned, it will have a

snappy, easy-to-pronounce brand name. And you'll hear about it. Oh,

believe me, you'll hear all about it. Because the pharmaceutical giant

Pfizer is betting hundreds of millions of dollars that torcetrapib is

going to be the Next Big Thing. And it probably will be.

 

But there's a catch. There always is with these guys.

 

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How bad to they want it?

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Torcetrapib has already been shown to raise HDL cholesterol levels.

Obviously that's a good thing. Contrary to the stubborn mainstream

mindset of the past 15 years, recent research has demonstrated that

low LDL is not the key to cholesterol health. An optimal cholesterol

profile requires HDL to be elevated while LDL is reduced. So going to

extremes simply to drive down LDL as far as it will possibly go is; A)

not healthy, and B) like savagely beating one horse in a two-horse team.

 

That's why executives at Pfizer (makers of the superstar LDL-lowering

drug Lipitor) are developing a product that will combine Lipitor and

torcetrapib. And you've got to admit it looks good on paper: Take a

wildly successful drug that lowers LDL and package it with an

effective HDL elevating drug and - ka-ching! - back up the money truck!

 

But besides adverse side effects (don't worry - I'll get to that in a

moment), there's just one problem with this beautiful marriage: It's a

violation of U.S. antitrust laws that forbid the bundling of products

so that one can't be purchased without buying another.

 

But guess what? According to a report in the New York Times, the FDA

provides a neat little loophole to this law. If Pfizer researchers can

demonstrate that their Lipitor/torcetrapib Dream Team can actually

reduce heart disease risk only when used together, the drug will

almost certainly get FDA approval, which would override that pesky

antitrust law.

 

So, how much do Pfizer execs want this new drug to succeed? The Times

article estimates that the company will devote more than $800 million

to Lipitor/torcetrapib research over the next two years. In other

words: They want it really bad.

 

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The hat trick

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If Pfizer executives can pull this one off it will be like winning

three Super Bowls in a row. Here's why:

 

The patent on Lipitor is due to run out in 2010. And as soon as

generic Lipitor hits the streets, Lipitor sales will drop

dramatically. That's an unsettling prospect for Pfizer. According to

the Times, 2003 sales of Lipitor came in at just under $11 billion,

accounting for about half of Pfizer's profits. But the patent on

Lipitor could easily be extended because of its new design, bundled

with torcetrapib. Then, when the patent on Lipitor/torcetrapib

eventually runs out, torcetrapib could possibly go on to have a patent

of its own.

 

By that time most people won't even remember what the heck LDL is

because we'll all be " re-educated " to an HDL mindset, with people in

commercials crowing, " I boosted my HDL! "

 

And without question, boosting your HDL is a good thing. But is it

worth the risk of developing high blood pressure? That's a fair

question because preliminary trials suggest there may be hypertension

concerns with higher doses of torcetrapib.

 

Incredible, isn't it? A drug designed to prevent heart disease may

prompt a condition that raises the risk of heart attack and stroke.

 

I promise this is not an early April Fool's joke. On the contrary:

Torcetrapib is part of a plan that will probably reap many billions of

dollars for Pfizer over the next decade.

 

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Why wait?

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The most refreshing feature of the Times report on torcetrapib was a

quote from Allen J. Taylor, M.D., who is a cardiologist at the Walter

Reed Army Medical Center. Dr. Taylor pointed out that there's already

a " proven " way to dramatically raise HDL: take niacin.

 

The importance of niacin is well known to HSI members. In previous

e-Alerts and Members Alerts, we've told you how niacin (vitamin B-3)

may offer a double bonus by lowering triglycerides while raising HDL.

Jonathan V. Wright, M.D., has also noted that niacin is effective

against degenerative arthritis, anxiety, and type 1 diabetes.

 

Of course, there are two key things that niacin doesn't do: It doesn't

raise blood pressure, and it doesn't raise drug company profits.

 

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....and another thing

 

Looking for safe pain relief?

 

With all the recent controversy over the dangers of Vioxx, Celebrex

and other pain-killing drugs, HSI members looking for alternative ways

to help cope with arthritis will be interested in an e-mail that I

received from a member named Marijo.

 

Marijo wrote to share some information about a natural agent that

relieves arthritis pain. She described it as, " Just plain old peanut

oil from the grocery store. Rub on a little, just like a lotion. You

can wipe off the excess. I don't know how it works, I only know that

it does. I suspect that it is absorbed by the skin and lubricates the

joints, but I don't really know. I have helped a number of people

become pain free by telling them about it. "

 

A quick check of the Internet shows that Marijo's topical peanut oil

rub to relieve arthritis pain is apparently a well-known therapy. In

fact, there are many lotions, salves, and creams containing peanut oil

that are promoted for arthritis and rheumatism pain. Some of the

sources I found quoted Edgar Cayce - the " sleeping prophet " - as

stating that those who take a weekly peanut oil rub " need never fear

arthritis. "

 

If you want to try peanut oil therapy, keep in mind that not all

peanut oils are created equal. Marijo seems to have enjoyed good

results with peanut oil from the grocery, but she might get even

better results with pure extra virgin peanut oil, with no added

solvents, dyes or preservatives.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Pfizer Stirs Concern With Plans to Sell Heart Drugs Only as Pair "

Alex Berenson, The New York Times, 3/7/05, nytimes.com

 

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