VOA慢速英语2019 鱼油类药物被推荐广泛使用

Fish Oil Drug Recommended for Wider Use

Government advisors¹ have suggested that people use a prescription² version of fish oil to fight heart health problems.

政府顾问建议人们使用处方鱼油来对抗心脏健康问题。

Currently, the drug Vascepa is approved for use in a fairly narrow group of patients. It is given to people who have very high levels of triglycerides --- fats in the blood that are linked to heart disease.

目前，药物Vascepa被批准用于小范围一组患者。 它适用于甘油三酸酯含量很高的人-血液中与心脏疾病有关的脂肪。

The drug maker³ Amarin wants the Food and Drug Administration to approve Vascepa for other problems linked to heart health. For example, doctors might prescribe the drug to patients with lower fat levels, but who are still at risk of heart problems and who take drugs for high cholesterol⁴.

制药商阿玛琳希望食品药品管理局（FDA）批准Vascepa处理与心脏健康有关的其他问题。 例如，医生可能为脂肪含量较低但仍然有心脏病风险并且服用高胆固醇药物的患者开处方。

A group of advisers⁵ to the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, all agreed to support the expansion based on a recent study result.

美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）的一组顾问均同意根据最近的研究结果支持这一扩展。

The study suggested that the drug can reduce rates of life-threatening heart problems in high-risk patients.

研究表明，这种药物可以降低高危患者的危及生命的心脏病的发生率。

Doctor Jack⁶ Yanovski is a member of the advisory⁷ group and a hormone⁸ specialist from the National Institutes of Health. He said, "There is no doubt this drug could benefit" a large number of people.

杰克·亚诺夫斯基博士是该咨询小组的成员，也是美国国立卫生研究院的荷尔蒙专家。 他说：“毫无疑问，这种药物可以使很多人受益。”

The advisory group noted⁹ several side effects of the drug. They include uneven¹⁰ heartbeat and bleeding inside the body. But the members agreed the good results outweighed¹¹ those risks when a patient is under a doctor's care.

咨询小组注意到该药物的几种副作用。 它们包括心律不齐和体内出血。 但是，成员们一致认为，当患者接受医生护理时，良好的结果胜过了那些风险。

FDA approval could mean wider use

The FDA is not required to follow the advice of the group. The agency is expected to make a decision by the end of this year.

FDA无需遵循该小组的建议。 该机构有望在今年年底前做出决定。

One member of the advisory group urged that the drug labeling should target patients who need it.

咨询小组的一位成员敦促药物标签应针对需要它的患者。

The representative, Philip Posner, said, "I do not want to see this become what I call cardio candy."

代表菲利普·波斯纳说：“我不想看到这成为我所谓的有氧糖果。”

The FDA writes labels for drugs to guide doctors who prescribe them. The labels also are used by health insurance companies to decide which uses of drugs they are willing to pay for.

FDA会写上药品标签，以指导开处方的医生。 这些标签还被健康保险公司用来确定他们愿意支付的药物用途。

A new label would make Vascepa the first fat-lowering drug approved by the FDA to reduce heart problems.

一个新的标签将使Vascepa成为FDA批准的减少心脏病的第一种降脂药物。

The advisory group based its decision on a study that was supported by the manufacturer. The study found that Vascepa reduced the risk of heart attack, blocked arteries¹² and other problems by about 25 percent compared to an inactive treatment.

咨询小组的决定基于制造商支持的研究。 研究发现，与不活动的治疗相比，Vasecepa可以将心脏病发作、动脉阻塞和其他问题的风险降低约25％。

Patients in the study had high triglyceride levels and other risks for heart problems, such as diabetes¹³.

研究中的患者甘油三酯水平高，并有其他心脏病等风险，例如糖尿病。

However, the results came as a surprise because recent research has suggested that fish oil supplements did not improve heart health.

但是，结果令人惊讶，因为最近的研究表明补充鱼油并不能改善心脏健康。

Millions of Americans take fish oil supplements which they believe improve their health. Fish oils are rich in fats called omega-3 fatty acids which scientists agree reduce triglycerides. But several studies have failed to show that this directly produces good results in patients.

数以百万计的美国人服用鱼油补充剂，他们认为这可以改善健康状况。 鱼油富含称为omega-3脂肪酸的脂肪，科学家们一致认为它们可以减少甘油三酸酯。 但是，一些研究未能表明这直接在患者中产生了良好的效果。

Amarin, however, says that its prescription drug is different from fish oil supplements. It would take 10 to 40 fish oil supplements to have the same effect as Vascepa, the company said.

但是，阿玛琳说，它的处方药不同于鱼油补充剂。 该公司表示，需要10至40种鱼油补充剂才能达到与Vascepa相同的效果。

If the FDA does expand approved usage, financial experts say Amarin's sales could sharply rise to as much as $3 billion a year. A one month supply of Vascepa costs about $300.

如果FDA确实扩大批准的用途，金融专家说，Amarin的销售额可能会急剧上升到每年30亿美元。 一个月的Vascepa供应大约需要300美元。

The company's total sales for 2018 were about $228 million.

该公司2018年的总销售额约为2.28亿美元。

Words in This Story

prescription –n. written permission from a doctor that directs a pharmacist to give a patient a drug

hormone –n. a natural substance produced in the body that influences growth and development

benefit –n. a good or desirable result

doubt –n. a lack of trust or belief in something

labeling –n. messages on products that describe the product, what it does and may provide directions for use

cardio –prefix related to the heart

supplement –n. an extra nutritional substance that is taken in the belief that it will improve health

1 advisors   

n.顾问，劝告者( advisor的名词复数 )；（指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• The governors felt that they were being strung along by their advisors. 地方长官感到他们一直在受顾问们的愚弄。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• We will consult together with advisors about her education. 我们将一起和专家商议她的教育事宜。 来自互联网

2 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 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。

5 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

6 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

7 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

8 hormone   

n.荷尔蒙，激素，内分泌

参考例句：

• Hormone implants are used as growth boosters.激素植入物被用作生长辅助剂。
• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body.这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 uneven   

adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的

参考例句：

• The sidewalk is very uneven—be careful where you walk.这人行道凹凸不平—走路时请小心。
• The country was noted for its uneven distribution of land resources.这个国家以土地资源分布不均匀出名。

11 outweighed   

v.在重量上超过( outweigh的过去式和过去分词 )；在重要性或价值方面超过

参考例句：

• This boxer outweighed by his opponent 20 pounds. 这个拳击选手体重比他的对手重20磅。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She outweighed me by ten pounds, and sometimes she knocked me down. 她的体重超过我十磅，有时竟把我撞倒。 来自百科语句

12 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。