Is this risky drug really necessary to treat heart disease?
The investment world is all abuzz with the latest drug in the pipeline for heart disease.
The drugmaker wants to repackage a not-so-new injection prescribed for several rare conditions and sell it to treat hardening of the arteries caused by chronic inflammation. And simply by announcing that, its stock prices have already gone up!
Financial analysts are predicting that it will make billions for Novartis and its shareholders, who are simply bubbling over with excitement.
While the med, called canakinumab, isn’t yet approved to treat clogged arteries, any doctor can still give you an Rx for it right now, off-label.
But why chance taking this risky drug when there are some tried-and-true ways to lower inflammation that won’t cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight gain, and allergic reactions or make your immune system as useful as a spent battery?
Contrary to what you might think, not all inflammation is bad! You need “acute” or targeted inflammation to fight infections and heal wounds.
But things can turn ugly is when that inflammation gets out of control and becomes chronic.
That’s why controlling chronic inflammation has become the buzz word when it comes to disease prevention.
For many conditions, inflammation is a symptom. But now it’s becoming obvious that chronic inflammation is very likely also the cause of some of the plagues of our time. I’m talking about diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, asthma, and Parkinson’s.
Then there’s heart disease — especially hardening of the arteries.
Inflammation can harm the artery wall by causing plaque buildup that can lead to a heart attack, stroke, and even heart failure. And claims of being able to reduce that arterial inflammation are what Novartis hopes will rake in the cash once canakinumab is approved for that purpose.
As I said, this med isn’t a new discovery. The drugmaker got it, under the name Ilaris, in and out of the Food and Drug Administration’s door like greased lightning for use in several rare childhood diseases. But really, all Novartis has to do now is drop some not-so-subtle hints about how it can treat heart disease and let doctors do the rest.
One cardiologist from Massachusetts General Hospital is calling the drug a “new opportunity to treat the leading cause of death in the world” that represents 30 years of research related to inflammation and hardening of the arteries.
Others went so far as to call it a “ground-breaking discovery.”
Wow, this must be some drug!
But if you think outside of Big Pharma’s box, there are plenty of other ways to treat inflammation that are a lot safer than canakinumab. Because where dangerous drugs are concerned, this one is at the top of the list.
Since it puts the brakes on your immune system, kids who are given shots of it face the risk of “serious side infections,” like TB. In fact, the drug’s label even warns parents against giving kids on this med any “live” vaccines, such as the one for chicken pox.
Other “common” side effects include vertigo, weight gain, nausea, vomiting, UTIs, and pneumonia.
Just what a heart patient needs, right?
Controlling inflammation is key if you want to stay as healthy as possible. And there are some really good ways to do it that Novartis hopes you don’t know about!
For example:
- Omega-3 fatty acids are found in abundance in chia seeds, walnuts, and fatty fish, such as wild salmon and sardines. You can also get your share by taking a high-quality fish-oil supplement. These essential fatty acids have been found in study after study to stop inflammation in its tracks.
- Other anti-inflammatory foods such as beans, nuts, colorful veggies and fruits (especially avocados), and extra virgin olive oil.
- Seasonings and flavor-boosters like ginger, chives, garlic, onions, and shallots.
You should also keep a lid on foods that can cause inflammation, such as sugar and dairy products, and ditch any processed foods containing trans fats, which you’ll find listed on ingredient labels as partially hydrogenated oil.
“Novartis heart drug success opens up new care option” John Miller and Ben Hirschler, Reuters, June 22, 2017, reuters.com
