A Direct Letter From Dr. Rath

http://www.drrathhealthalliance.com/news/letter_from_Dr_Rath.php

January 22, 2008

Dear all,

Apparently not only the stock markets tumble, but also the much acclaimed hypothesis that cholesterol-lowering reduces heart attacks.

Or is there a hidden connection between the two? The timing does not exclude it – nor do the issues at stake.

With over $40 billion in annual sales, cholesterol lowering drugs are the single largest element in the pharmaceutical business portfolio.

If the connection between cholesterol-lowering and prevention of cardiovascular disease breaks, this market is doomed and with it the credibility of the pharmaceutical investment business in many other areas.

And precisely that is the Mene-tekel written in big letters on the wall for the drug industry:

On January 15, 16 and 17, the New York Times (click on dates to view attachments) reported about another major scandal of the drug industry. Merck and Schering had tested their cholesterol-lowering drugs in a large trial designed to establish the connection between cholesterol lowering and the prevention of heart disease.

The results of this much anticipated study were “shocking.” As reported in the New York Times, the coronary artery plaques - the basis of a heart attack - developed twice as fast in those people taking the cholesterol-lowering drugs! To make things worse, Merck and Schering had been sitting on these explosives data for almost two years – while about 5 million people worldwide continued to take this drug.

US Congress has launched a Congressional investigations and the New York Times is publicly demanding a new law prohibiting such abuse.

But the real problem here goes much deeper. The global fraud of the drug industry with the world's three largest health markets is now complete and open for everyone to see:

1. They promote chemotherapy against *cancer* without any evidence for cure. To the contrary, the most common side effects of chemotherapy its new cancer –and new drug market opportunities.
2. They promote ARV drugs against* immune deficiencies* without any evidence for cure. To the contrary, ARVs further damage the immune system, thereby paving the way for new infections - and new drug market opportunities.
3. Now there is proof that the biggest health problems of our time, *cardiovascular disease*, has been also used as a market opportunity by the pharmaceutical industry - at the expense of the health and lives of millions of people. For more than two decades, they have been promoting cholesterol-lowering statins by creating the fraudulent perception that it prevents heart attacks. Now this perception too has been exposed as a marketing Fata Morgana – and a fraud on the public in the range of trillions of dollars (including the follow-up costs).

Yesterday, Merck and Schering had to place a two page advertisement in the “USA Today,” the world's largest newspaper (see attachment). While trying to put the finger in the breaking damn, they may have made things worse. It is highly significant that nowhere in this ‘damage control’ advertisement are these drug companies stating that there is any proof that cholesterol-lowering drugs reduce the risk of heart disease. If any such proof existed, this would have been the moment to play that card. But they could not play it because it does not exist! In light of that fact the statement that the American Heart Association also things that cholesterol-lowering is “important” is nothing less than a declaration of bankruptcy for the cholesterol-heart disease hypothesis.

This fact is highly reminiscent of the ARV business, where even the product information sheets for ARV drugs specify that this drug is no cure for HIV and AIDS and even specifies that its side effects include immune deficiencies.

It is obvious that this industry has only been able to survive this giant of fraud by sponsoring their lobbyists in politics, the health profession, the media - and even in the streets, like the South African TAC drug-pushers.

*The drug industry is no longer fighting for the survival of individual drug markets. It is now fighting for the credibility of this industry in general.*

This insight may not be limited to the drug companies alone, but may have already spilled over to some farsighted analysts and investors. While the US mortgage market is being officially blamed for this crisis, there may be other – even more important - reasons.

I am expressing my hope, that this credibility crisis and agony of the pharmaceutical industry – the world’s second largest investment business - will not be “solved” like other crises before that threatened the global financial system – i.e. by starting a war. Unfortunately, today’s lead story in the British Guardian, does not necessarily feed this hope (Attachment).

I am convinced, however, that our work – including the various litigations - is instrumental in helping to establish the truth and overcoming this impasse.

Regards,

Dr. Rath

Editor's Note - In respect to the public release of this study and the question regarding why the lowering of cholesterol did not lead to the decrease in plaque formation, Dr. Niedzwiecki wrote letters to the editors of the New York Times, Business Week, Whole Foods, and USA Today, a copy of which is here.