'Continue to take medicine' warning.HEART experts said patients should continue to take an anti-cholesterol drug despite fears it could cause cancer.A US study found higher rates of cancer among patients prescribed Inegy. The pill combines a widely-used statin stat·in n. Any of a class of drugs that inhibit a key enzyme involved in the synthesis of cholesterol and promote receptor binding of LDL cholesterol, resulting in decreased levels of serum cholesterol. called simvastatin simvastatin /sim·va·stat·in/ (sim´vah-stat?in) an antihyperlipidemic agent that acts by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis, used in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia and other forms of dyslipidemia and to lower the risks associated , which blocks cholesterol in the liver, with another drug, ezetimibe. About 300,000 prescriptions for Inegy were dispensed in the last two years in Britain. But Dr Mike Knapton, director of prevention and cure at the British Heart Foundation The British Heart Foundation is a charity organisation in the United Kingdom that funds research, education, care and awareness campaigns aimed to prevent heart diseases in humans. , pointed to research which found there was no increased risk of cancer. And he called for closer study of patients using the drug. He said: "People should be reassured that drug regulators will act quickly if robust evidence of risk to health appears. If you have concerns you should talk to your doctor to weigh up the risks and benefits." |
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