SCIENCE: Rare Mutation Ignites Race for Cholesterol Drug. “The discovery of the mutation and of the two women with their dazzlingly low LDL levels has set off one of the greatest medical chases ever. It is a fevered race among three pharmaceutical companies, Amgen, Pfizer and Sanofi, to test and win approval for a drug that mimics the effects of the mutation, drives LDL levels to new lows and prevents heart attacks. All three companies have drugs in clinical trials and report that their results, so far, are exciting.”

Okay. But how sure are we that super-low LDL levels are altogether good? The answer is “not all that sure.”