2006年VOA标准英语-Pfizer Drops New Heart Drug... Stock Prices Fal

By Carol Pearson
Washington, DC
06 December 2006
 
watch Heart Drug Fails

Pfizer, the largest pharmaceutical¹ company in the world, has stopped development of its most promising² drug.  The move has rocked both the medical world and the stock markets. 

 

Cardiologists hoped it would revolutionize heart medicine.  Dr. Steven Nissen led one of the earlier studies of torcetrapib. "I had great hopes for this drug.  I thought we could make a difference with it.  I thought it was going to work.  It didn't."

Pfizer was hoping torceptrapib would reduce the buildup of plaque³ in blood vessels⁴ that can cause heart attacks. 

The drug was also designed to raise the body's good cholesterol⁵, or HDL, by about 50 percent. 

Pfizer stopped the drug's final clinical test because 82 people taking it died during the trial, compared to 52 in the control group not taking the drug.

When this information came in, Pfizer stopped the trials and announced it was abandoning the most promising drug it was developing -- promising both medically and financially, promising that is, until the unexpectedly high number of deaths.

Cardiologist Christopher Cannon⁶ expresses concern about the risk. "The higher mortality rate may be small in numbers of patients, but when we think about the tens of millions of people with heart disease who could potentially be treated by this drug, that turns into a large number of patients who could be at risk."

Another pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca, produces a rival cholesterol drug called Crestor, already on the market.

Roche, another firm, has a drug similar to torcetrapib, still being developed.

Pfizer invested $800 million and spent 15 years developing torcetrapib.

1 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

2 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

3 plaque   

n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板

参考例句：

• There is a commemorative plaque to the artist in the village hall.村公所里有一块纪念该艺术家的牌匾。
• Some Latin words were engraved on the plaque. 牌匾上刻着些拉丁文。

4 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 cholesterol   

n.（U）胆固醇

参考例句：

• There is cholesterol in the cell of body.人体细胞里有胆固醇。
• They are determining the serum-protein and cholesterol levels.他们正在测定血清蛋白和胆固醇的浓度。

6 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。