In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.Whenever I praise Big Pharma, people accuse me of being in the pocket of the industry. Really, it’s much worse. I praise Big Pharma gratis. Because no business, save perhaps Big Agriculture, has done more to improve our lives.Take cancer and heart disease, the two biggest killers of Americans. Here’s what’s happened on those fronts in just the past couple of months.
In May, Eli Lilly announced clinical trials for a gene-editing treatment that dramatically lowers bad cholesterol, one of the primary drivers of heart disease. The technology permanently alters a gene in the liver that acts as a brake on the body’s ability to clear bad cholesterol from the blood. When the brake is removed, the liver begins removing bad cholesterol naturally.
In trials, people saw their LDL levels drop by 62%, a far bigger reduction than you see with existing treatments. People with high cholesterol would be able to get a single infusion rather than take pills every day, permanently lowering their risk.
