As potent as statins are to lower high cholesterol and reduce heart attacks, they don’t work effectively in about 30 to 50 percent of patients, according to Dr. Robert Giugliano, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Some patients can’t tolerate them because of side effects, while others find that, while on the maximum dose of the most potent statin, their cholesterol levels drop, but not enough to lower their heart risk.