{"id":5714,"date":"2016-12-04T16:12:47","date_gmt":"2016-12-04T16:12:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zoeharcombe.com\/?p=5714"},"modified":"2018-01-13T15:24:46","modified_gmt":"2018-01-13T15:24:46","slug":"dear-professor-rory-collins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoeharcombe.com\/2016\/12\/dear-professor-rory-collins\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Professor Rory Collins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following the publication of\u00a0this paper in The Lancet<\/a>\u00a0, I wrote to Professor Rory Collins for his evidence. I have done this before, back in May 2012, when\u00a0this paper<\/a>\u00a0was published.<\/p>\n

May 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

I wrote then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Subject:<\/strong><\/td>\nThe effects of lowering LDL paper in The Lancet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Date:<\/strong><\/td>\nMon, 21 May 2012 11.29<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
From:<\/strong><\/td>\nzoe@XXXX><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
To:<\/strong><\/td>\nCTT <ctt@ctsu.ox.ac.uk> (Note 1)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Dear Sir\/Madam<\/p>\n

I’ve been reading this paper with much interest. Please do you have the raw data available for view? It is not possible to see baseline numbers in the intervention vs control groups for each of the estimated risk groups.<\/p>\n

Many thanks<\/p>\n

Kind regards – Zoe<\/p>\n

The reply I received was:<\/p>\n

——– Forwarded Message ——–<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Subject:<\/strong><\/td>\nRE: The effects of lowering LDL paper in The Lancet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Date:<\/strong><\/td>\nWed, 23 May 2012 13:40:39 +0000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
From:<\/strong><\/td>\nCTT <ctt@ctsu.ox.ac.uk><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
To:<\/strong><\/td>\nzoe@XXXX><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Dear Zoe,<\/p>\n

Am I right in thinking you are asking for raw data at the participant level?<\/p>\n

The CTT Collaboration holds data on a very strict basis and is not able to provide participant level data to third parties.<\/p>\n

Sorry that we can’t be of any further help on this matter, but should we be able assist you in any other way please let us know.<\/p>\n

Best wishes,<\/p>\n

Lisa<\/p>\n

September 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

This time I wrote as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Subject:<\/strong><\/td>\nThe Lancet Paper<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Date:<\/strong><\/td>\nMon, 12 Sep 2016 14:54:06 +0100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
From:<\/strong><\/td>\nZoe Harcombe\u00a0<zoe@XXXX ><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
To:<\/strong><\/td>\nrory.collins@ndph.ox.ac.uk<\/a>\u00a0(Note 1)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Dear Professor Collins<\/p>\n

Please can you point me to where in your recent Lancet paper I can find the source for\/data behind these two statements in the abstract?<\/p>\n

1) “For example, lowering LDL cholesterol by 2 mmol\/L (77 mg\/dL) with an effective low-cost statin regimen (eg, atorvastatin 40 mg daily, costing about \u00a32 per month) for 5 years in 10 000 patients would typically prevent major vascular events from occurring in about 1000 patients (ie, 10% absolute benefit) with pre-existing occlusive vascular disease (secondary prevention) and in 500 patients (ie, 5% absolute benefit) who are at increased risk but have not yet had a vascular event (primary prevention).”<\/p>\n

And<\/p>\n

2) “Typically, treatment of 10 000 patients for 5 years with an effective regimen (eg, atorvastatin 40 mg daily) would cause about 5 cases of myopathy (one of which might progress, if the statin therapy is not stopped, to the more severe condition of rhabdomyolysis), 50\u2013100 new cases of diabetes, and 5\u201310 haemorrhagic strokes… Statin therapy may cause symptomatic adverse events (eg, muscle pain or weakness) in up to about 50\u2013100 patients (ie, 0\u00b75\u20131\u00b70% absolute harm) per 10 000 treated for 5 years. ”<\/p>\n

Many thanks<\/p>\n

Kind regards – Zoe<\/p>\n

I then re-sent this message on 20th<\/sup> September…
\n——– Forwarded Message ——–<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Subject:<\/td>\nFwd: The Lancet Paper<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Date:<\/td>\nTue, 20 Sep 2016 10:23:37 +0100<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
From:<\/td>\nZoe Harcombe <zoe@XXXX><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
To:<\/td>\nrory.collins@ndph.ox.ac.uk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Dear Professor Collins<\/p>\n

I appreciate that you may have had many emails since The Lancet article, but please do you have a time scale for replying to my email below?<\/p>\n

Many thanks<\/p>\n

Kind regards – Zoe<\/p>\n

——————————<\/p>\n

Funnily enough I have received no reply to either email. I thought I’d put this on open view, therefore, just to see if anyone else from the CTSU wants to share the data, which we need to be able to evaluate their otherwise completely unsubstantiated claims.<\/p>\n

Note 1: Please note, the email addresses are those given as the email for correspondence in each article.
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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