Statin Drug Scandal: Cholesterol-lowering Drug Researchers Start Backtracking

February 17, 2015

Statin Drug Scandal: Cholesterol-lowering Drug Researchers Start Backtracking

Health Impact News Editor Comments

The cholesterol-lowering statin drug empire continues to crumble. On Sunday February 15, 2015, the Sunday Express in the UK published a headline story stating that Oxford professor Dr. Rory Collins, whose research had been used to support putting millions of patients on statin drugs, was reassessing the data behind those studies for possible drug side effects they might have missed previously.

According to the Express:

Although the original research looked at the effect of statins on the heart and considered cancer risks it did not examine other side effects.

A Pharmaceutical Scandal that Can No Longer Be Hidden?

This announcement by Dr. Collins is stunning, to say the least, and points to a massive cover-up and scandal related to statin drugs.

In 2014, Dr. Collins supported calls in the UK to put more people on statin drugs. However, he met with some opposition, and the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a couple of articles documenting some of the side effects of statin drugs, which would call into question new government guidelines that would encourage physicians to put more patients on the already popular class of cholesterol-lowering drugs. Statins are the world’s best selling pharmaceutical drugs of all time, with no close competitors.

Dr. Collins criticized the BMJ articles, and demanded that they retract them. According to Dr. Malcolm Kendrick:

He stated that these articles were irresponsible, worse than Andrew Wakefield’s work on the MMR vaccine, and that thousands would die if they were scared off taking their statins by such articles. (Source.)

An independent review panel set up by Fiona Godlee, editor of the BMJ, looked at the BMJ’s data and rejected his demands.

Dr. Collins is head of the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) Collaboration, and as Dr. Kendrick points out:

you should know that for a number of years, people have been trying to get Rory Collins to release the data he and his unit (the CTT), holds on statins. [The CTT was set up purely to get hold of and review all the data on statins, it has no other function].

He has stubbornly refused to let anyone see anything. He claims he signed non-disclosure contracts with pharmaceutical companies who send him the data, so he cannot allow anyone else access. Please remember that some of the trials he holds data on were done over thirty years ago, and the drugs are long off patent.

Now, amazingly, after running the CTT for nearly twenty years, Collins claims that ‘he has not seen the full data on side-effects.’ In an e-mail to the Sunday Express he stated that ‘his team had assessed the effects of statins on heart disease and cancer but not other side effects such as muscle pain.’

Let that statement percolate for a moment or two. Then try to make sense of it. So, they have got the data, but not bothered to look at it? Or they have not got it – which surely must be the case if he hasn’t even seen it. Give us a clue. Either way, Collins states he has not assessed it. (Source.)

So why this sudden about face by Dr. Collins in admitting the data on statin drugs needs to be reassessed due to potential side effects not previously studied? Could the thousands of lawsuits currently being filed in the United States against Lipitor, the best-selling drug in the history of the world, for causing diabetes, be just the tip of the iceberg in terms of serious side effects that are now about to become public?

ABC Australia Investigative Report on Statin Scam Pulled from YouTube

Dr MaryAnne Demasi from the Catalyst. Her investigative reporting on the dangers of statin drugs has now been banned.

Dr. MaryAnne Demasi’s documentary on the criminal activity of the pharmaceutical industry regarding cholesterol-lowering statin drugs sent shock waves through the mainstream media in Australia at the end of 2013. Published in two parts on the popular news show The Catalyst, the pharmaceutical industry complained loudly after the first show, and requested the network not air the second episode, “Heart of the Matter Part 2 – Cholesterol Drug War.”

ABC Australia aired it anyway, but the pharmaceutical influence was apparently too strong, as they later announced that the network would remove the videos from their website because “they breached its impartiality standards.” All copies found on YouTube were also removed.

Dr. Michael Eades has published them on his Vimeo channel, however, and you can watch them below. If you know anyone currently being prescribed statin drugs to lower their cholesterol, this information could save their lives.

Heart of the Matter – Part 1

Heart of the Matter Part 2 – Cholesterol Drug War

See Also:

Study: Government Guidelines on Low-fat Diet Were Not Supported by Science

More on the Statin Scam

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Fat and Cholesterol are Good for You!
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by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD

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Published on February 17, 2015

Tags: cholesterol myth, Rory Collins, statin drugs|

18 Comments

Mark August 22, 2018 at 8:17 pm - Reply

Still it seems that pauling and rath were correct about LP (a) being the main factor in atherosclorosis. People are finally realizing that cholesterol is not the culprit. People are being murdered and slow moving governments are the ones to blame for these tragedies. They lie to the public about data and allow the medical professionals to poison the sick even more when they come to them for help with their illnesses ,all for profit. The medicines prescribed are the main causes of the new cancers and other  horrible disease we see killing millions on a daily basis. Many cures were found in the last 100 years, but the greedy have lied so they can have more money and posessions. Look at all the birth defects in the 1900s ,this is when pesticides and prescription drugs were in their infancy. They tested these drugs on unsuspecting millions and their children. All in the name of science. Hitler and his henchmen did the same only more blatantly.

Bridie Droney August 11, 2015 at 4:54 pm - Reply

I was prescribed statins over 10 years ago but never took them TG. I’m told my cholesterol was high at 6.5 but somehow I’m not worried. 10 years later it’s still 6.5.I never trusted drug companies, their main goal is profit get as many people as possible long term taking their drugs. They have customers for life, it’s just my opinion.

Peter July 23, 2015 at 1:19 pm - Reply

I been on all the statins and now I have neuropathy but because of a heart problem I take lovastatin 2 times a week I don’t want but the dr.said I need it.

Daisy Madden June 18, 2015 at 4:06 pm - Reply

There are a few more drugs that should be off the list, and don’t get me started on the side effects and reactions to vaccines; they too should be investigated, independently.

channelswim011 June 16, 2015 at 7:17 am - Reply

I stopped taking Crestor that was giving me cramps and my eyesight deteriated, I have no doubt in my mind that these drugs are evil and dangerous, it’s big business once again, they should be held to account for their lies.

Cathy P. April 21, 2015 at 9:34 pm - Reply

I was on statins for a few years and I immediately started with lots of pain in my legs…muscles in my backs…hands…arms. I stopped talkng it but it never went away…a year later mndoctor said I had fibromyalgia I was shocked!!! In my heart I believe my chronic pain was cause by statins.  I was a healthy….active women and now I can’t even work!!!! I wish I could file a law suit against the statin companies.

Fred Kroesche April 15, 2015 at 1:21 am - Reply

My Cardiologist ridiculed me for going off Crestor because of what I saw on the the “Heart of the Matter”.  I went back on the tablets until the pain became unbearable.
I have been off my dosage of 10ml Crestor for almost a year now and still I have pain in both shoulders, arms and calf muscles. Ck level normal, shoulder x rays and ultrasound tests normal. CoQ10 down 40% below bottom of normal range. I have seen about 10 doctors/specialists and still dont have a diagnosis because none of them know any details about Statin side affects. Whilst I was on the 10ml dose my heart rate went down to 25bpm and I had no warning or ill feeling. At 22bpm I was told the heart would just stop. I immediately had to go into surgery to have a pacemaker inserted.  In the earlier notifications by the manufacturer of Crestor it lists bradycardia as a side effect. But does anyone out in the real world know that??
I was only on the 10ml dose for about 18 months, prior to that I had been on a dose of 5ml Crestor for about 7 years. And in that time I lost a kidney to cancer. Cancer is also listed a a side effect.
On the net under Scholarly research papers one can find hundreds if not thousands of reports by doctors and medical specialists including professors highlighting the side effects and damage caused by statins, but I can’t find a knowledgeable doctor here in Australia.

Mike Fourie April 14, 2015 at 4:52 pm - Reply

Thank you for opening my eyes. All the side effects I have. Muscle fatigue etc. I have been on for 14 years only to find out fat is good and the main culprit being our food management. The dustpan was not close enough but now I may be myself once again. Starch is the killer as it is the road to sugar and this is the road to which I believed Crestor and all the other cholesterol pills would cure. What a wake up call. Thank you for sharing.

Erik March 10, 2015 at 9:58 am - Reply

I know an MD who is 5′ 9′, 145 lbs, exercises regularly, eats well, has no family history, and takes a statin because his cholesterol is 240. Just ridiculous.

ChasG May 22, 2015 at 5:34 am - Reply

If the MD is young, he may have a problem; if he’s over 50 years old, more likely no problem.

Deborah March 2, 2015 at 11:34 pm - Reply

Was taking a medicine for cholesterol called “Pravastatin” for a year or more. It caused the muscles in my lower back, legs, and feet to get very weak… which caused my muscles to hurt 10 times or more than usual. I had to lay in bed most of the day…every day because the pain was too much for me. Once I sat down somewhere… I couldn’t get up very well without horrible pain. I thought maybe I will be this way the rest of my life. I have “osteoarthritis.” After I went off the cholesterol medicine….it took some days….the side effects started going away from that medicine I was taking. I’m feeling a lot better….now that I have stopped taking the cholesterol medicine. I’m avoiding as much sugar as I can when I eat and drink. I can;t handle the cholesterol medicine anymore. No matter which kind the doctor put me on…it caused me to have terrible severe pain in my muscles. ;o(

tresmegistus March 2, 2015 at 3:35 am - Reply

we should hold BOTH government and corporation to account and institute criminal proceedings not only for withholding the truth, but placing profit before health . the article mentions dr wakefield who was villified and has now been proved to be correcy. remember thalidomide scandal all the denials and then volte face…..

Ed February 26, 2015 at 7:47 pm - Reply

We should sue the greedy pharmaceuticals for putting us in harms way.

Christian February 23, 2015 at 2:20 pm - Reply

I’ve always been leery of statins…just never seemed like a good idea. Even when useful, they’re typically a bandaid…you need to change your actual habits first (IMO).

josephine fano February 22, 2015 at 2:33 am - Reply

The Cholesterol myth has finally been shattered..and with soon the STATIN myth will meet the same fate. This is a great example of how Big Pharma operates…smoke and mirrors, shady research, out right lies…it is a national scandal that corporations are allowed to behave this way and get away with it…looking forward to seeing how these class action law suits against some of these Big Pharma companies turn out….they will probably be fined 100’s of millions….but they made 4 -5 times that sum in sales..so they still win….it is the consumer who loses..as usual!

hubaeck February 22, 2015 at 2:19 am - Reply

I just have been watching these two episodes on statins… Wow… Thank you for opening our eyes. Maybe I should stop taking these statins too and eating “normal” fat again. :-)

Ralph February 20, 2015 at 7:45 am - Reply

I am a male in my early 80’s. I was taking statins as early as the early 90’s.  About 10 years ago my cardiologist suggested I take crestor. I have no idea if crestor caused it, but my legs have been weak and ache when I try to walk but a short distance. I have not taken crestor for a year or more but my legs still bother me.

jacquie February 18, 2015 at 4:39 pm - Reply

Well done daily express. About time. I was on crestor for several years . I stopped taking as my legs were tiered all the time  and my memory was getting shocking.. After five years off them mylegs are nearly back to normal. Crestor was Taken off the market,