ABC program might cause people not to take their medication

HEALTH authorities are alarmed that ABC TV has ignored warnings not to air a second program containing controversial views on cholesterol that could result in deaths.

The second part of a feature, Heart of the Matter, was broadcast on the ABC’s Catalyst last night.

It examined how the benefits of statins had been exaggerated, and followed a broadcast last week that included interviews with practitioners who said the belief that saturated fat and cholesterol were conducive to heart disease was a “huge misconception” and “100 per cent wrong”.

The chairwoman of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Medicines wrote to the ABC in a private capacity, warning that the program might cause people not to take their medication.

“If people stop using their statins or if they don’t start them when they should be, it’s very likely that it will result in death,” Emily Banks warned in the letter.

The ABC did not return calls for comment last night.