In shifting away from specific targets and non-statin add-on therapies, new ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines support treatment of people at relatively low risk for events and more intensive therapy for those at higher risk.

Statins represent a high standard of care for managing high blood cholesterol, bolstered by a strong evidence base, but new targets like PCSK9 and CETP are nevertheless stealing the spotlight nowadays. Whether new drugs, if they make it to market, will be used beyond narrow, targeted population segments is uncertain and will depend on results from large-scale outcomes studies showing significant efficacy and, importantly, reassurance of a solid safety profile.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest and a cohort of researchers are calling for an independent re-evaluation of the scientific data used by NIH's National Cholesterol Education Program to justify lowering the threshold for statin therapy