Content about Sterols

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Culturally competent coaching may be effective in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease among South Asian patients, according to a new study presented as a poster at an American Heart Association conference taking place in New Orleans.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for treating a rare cholesterol disorder, the agency said.

The FDA announced the approval of Kynamro (mipomersen sodium), made by Genzyme for the treatment of homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, or HoFH. Kynamro has been approved as an orphan drug, a designation the FDA gives to drugs that treat diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Membership-based retailer Sam's Club is offering free health screenings for women, the company said.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Scientists at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute’s Nutrition and Metabolism Center have developed a low-calorie, fruit-based high-fiber vitamin and mineral nutrition bar called the CHORI-bar that improves biological indicators — the bar increased HDL cholesterol and glutathione but lowered homocysteine — linked to the risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline and associated decline in antioxidant defenses, the group reported Wednesday.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — In honor of American Heart Month, Sam's Club announced it will be hosting free heart health screenings on Feb. 11 at all locations with a pharmacy.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., members and guests can receive total cholesterol, HDL, glucose, body mass index and blood-pressure tests for free. During the screenings, Sam's Club pharmacies also will offer free samples of related items, the company said.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Patients in northern California using Kaiser Permanente’s services who received new prescriptions for statin drugs through mail-order pharmacy showed better control of their cholesterol in the first three to 15 months following the start of therapy than those who obtained them from Kaiser Permanente Northern California pharmacies, according to a new study.

NEENAH, Wis. — Santal Solutions last week announced its dietary supplement Assurance Blood Health Support has gained distribution through Rite Aid and Walgreens.

“We are excited that Assurance Blood Health Support is on the shelves of major retailers,” Santal president Dennis Torkko said. “This reinforces the strength of the product and provides an all-natural option for those individuals that are concerned about blood sugar, cholesterol and triglyceride levels.”

WILMINGTON, Del. With September marked as National Cholesterol Education Month, drug maker AstraZeneca is using the occasion to push lifestyles that promote low cholesterol, the Anglo-Swedish company said.

AstraZeneca, which markets the cholesterol-lowering drug Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium), is pushing such habits as a healthy diet and exercise as ways to keep cholesterol down. According to the American Heart Association, 102 million Americans ages 20 years and older have borderline-high or high cholesterol.