#525 Health News Update

Inflammation is emerging as one of the most important factors influencing a person’s risk of heart attack. We find out about new research on how statin cholesterol-lowering drugs affect an inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein, and the risk of heart attack. We also discuss the FDA’s difficulties with Vioxx and other drugs, and learn why grape juice is good for you. Guests: Paul Ridker, MD, Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital; Jerry Avorn, MD, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Jane Freedman, MD, associate professor of medicine