In the Philippines, where cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been a leading cause of death for over three decades, the information disorder proves to be deadly in its own right.
You may be familiar with the “bad cholesterol” known as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. This is potentially dangerous at high levels as it can lead to CVD.
Fortunately, a group of medicines called statins can help lower LDL cholesterol in the blood and reduce bad cholesterol production inside the liver. Although many different medicines are used to lower cholesterol, statins are most often used to treat high cholesterol.
‘Tidal wave of misinformation’
Unfortunately, false information surrounding statin use can be found in the Philippines much like the rest of the world—as part of a global “anti-statin” movement.
“For every drop of scientific evidence that statins are safe and effective, there is a tidal wave of misinformation. Our patients are concerned about statin side effects they’ve heard about from family or friends, or read about on the Internet,” UT Southwestern Medical Center doctors wrote.
“Statins are the ‘gold standard’ for high cholesterol treatment. They’re a powerful medication, and they’ve been proven to save the lives of many men and women living with or having a high risk of heart attack or stroke. But if statins are so effective, why are some people afraid to take them?” they added.
Locally, Facebook users influence their thousands of followers or lacking this, resort to well-populated themed Facebook groups to propagate narratives that statins are useless, harmful, or both.
This is on top of conspiracy theories that statins are simply a profitable pharmaceutical venture, are prescribed primarily by incompetent and/or careless doctors, and should be abandoned in favor of more effective “alternative medicine” treatments.
A local example is a self-described motivational speaker with at least 69,000 followers. Their anti-statin Facebook posts typically get hundreds of reactions, comments, and shares, with their most popular post receiving up to 5,000 engagements.
Another is a type-2 diabetes support group with over 26,000 members regularly exposed to anti-statin Facebook posts. These may register fewer engagements, but nonetheless make up for it in terms of frequency.
Among their striking quotes describing statins are its “holocaust of adverse effects” and “many suffer from taking them.”
One post alone cited increased blood sugar, muscle cell damage, liver damage, and memory problems. Others cited poisoning of mitochondria and links to high breast cancer incidence.
“Expand your knowledge about statin drugs and how they’re dominating the pharmaceutical industry with over $14 billion in sales annually…These are the downstream effects and other long-term risks you’ll have to deal with from consuming statin drugs,” one particularly loaded post read.
Diagnosing the information disorder
According to Dr. Tony Leachon, health reform advocate and former president of the Philippine College of Physicians, false narratives regarding cholesterol medications are typically fanned because of social media.
“Many social media users market products for anything. One of the fake news that I have observed is about cholesterol-lowering agents. On one side, they sell products. They demolish or malign not just statins, but also metformin. They will say it’s out in the market, but you can still buy it. They say statins are not recommended by the American College of Cardiology. But we still use it,” Leachon told Manila Standard in a mix of English and Filipino.
One such Facebook account describing statins as having “nasty” and “adverse” side effects between January and March 2024 is a purported manufacturer of diabetes support food. It attributed no source to assert its claims other than suspicious links flagged by cybersecurity software.
“The problem is there is no fact-checking as we see it on social media. And people would believe what they would like to believe,” Leachon said.
As a prominent figure in the health sector, his face was grabbed from available online videos to be used in AI-generated marketing advertisements. This forced him to stop doing his daily podcast altogether.
The fake news is only compounded by what Leachon sees as a “low level of education” among Filipinos in terms of health.
“It’s a major challenge because preventive health is not strong in our curriculum. From childhood to college, health is not important… Aggravated by the low level of education of people. People are gullible. That’s what’s happening here,” Leachon observed.
He cited how PhilHealth receiving zero subsidies from the government in 2025 reflects a “very low concern about the healthcare system.”
Then there are cultural fads such as weight-reducing diets. These gained popularity claiming carbohydrates are bad, instead shifting to fat as an alternative.
“Of course, the one that lowers cholesterol needs to be affected too. Because if you say that this drug is not effective or has side effects…they’re saying that statins are bad for your kidneys and liver. But we know it’s only 1 percent and well-tolerated,” Leachon said.
One such blanket statement made by an anti-statin influencer is that many of those who suffer attacks and die from heart disease have low cholesterol, asking: “Is there anyone who recovered from heart disease by taking statins and not eating fat and cholesterol?”
‘Knowledge saves lives’
Fortunately, there is a panacea to cover the ills of fake news.
“Knowledge saves lives. The best outcomes from treatment medication come when the person makes informed decisions,” Novartis Healthcare Philippines country president Joel Chong said during the Philippine Press Institute’s October 2024 “Unblock Your Heart” workshop.
He did, however, acknowledge that the biggest challenge in making an informed decision is misinformation.
“Misinformation happens for example when things are dramatized. Makes people feel anxious. It can also be the opposite when information is downplayed. When it’s downplayed, it creates apathy or the feeling of ‘I can’t be bothered,’” Chong said.
“But most often, misinformation creates confusion. Because there could be even conflicting information. Two people can be arguing about it, but it’s all correct for different people.
This misinformation can cause delays for a person seeking medical help and getting timely treatment,” he added.
According to the healthcare executive, this is where we factor in health literacy, which is “actually about making things simple.”
“I really appreciate all the doctors today who make very technical information as simple as possible. And why is simple important? Simple is important so people can relate and people can understand. After that, they act,” Chong said.
“Health literacy is really about helping the average person understand and use health information and services. A country with good health literacy usually has better health standards. Why? People understand illnesses better. They take action earlier when illnesses are easier to treat,” he added.
This is why we need to incentivize properly informed actions if we are to achieve better health outcomes.
‘Informative not punitive’
The tragedy with statins being rejected by critics is that they are also “cheap, accessible, and free,” according to Leachon.
He explained statins are in the national drug formulary and part of the drugs procured for free by the Department of Health (DOH) to be distributed to all local government unit leaders, barangay healthcare workers, and local physicians. Even when bought from the private sector, statins are cheap as it is already a generic drug.
When it comes to accessibility, public information appears to be the more scarce resource — but it wasn’t always this way.
Almost a decade ago, Leachon launched as the Philippine College of Physicians Communication and Advocacy committee chair the Health Education Reform Order (HERO) of 2006, signed by then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
The landmark measure mandated a preventive health education curriculum and created a Committee on Health Education Reform. However, it was not institutionalized in the form of a new law beyond Arroyo’s term.
Nonetheless, it is not too late for a similar initiative today, as Leachon recommended having different bodies like the Philippine Medical Association, Philippine College of Physicians, and other medical organizations crafting a certain curriculum together with the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
“That is one problem: structured education. Because I think even if you have an increasing, I would say, fascination with social media, If our academic curriculum has a strengthened health education, it will not be swayed,” Leachon said.
Beyond statins and cholesterol treatments, we must also learn to adapt to an unhealthy environment proliferated by cheap and readily available fast food.
Leachon suggested integrating simple infrastructure like calorie counters in restaurants to help people prepare accordingly. That way they are easily warned against food choices that are high in cholesterol, salt, sugar, and calories.
“Mandate the restaurants through the help of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and, of course, have the Cabinet make an executive order first and then law. Nothing is forbidden as it’s not punitive. But it’s informative in the sense that you have an informed choice still,” Leachon said.
This article is part of the Unblock Your Heart Health Reporting initiative, supported by the Philippine Press Institute and Novartis, to improve health literacy on cardiovascular diseases. Know your numbers, understand your risks, and consult your doctor—so no Filipino heart is lost too soon. Take control of your heart health today. Visit unblockedmovement.ph for more information.
ACT NOW!
A – ASCVD is a top killer in the Philippines
C – Cholesterol is a key risk but can be managed
T – Take action to lower it fast
NOW – The next heart attack or stroke could be worse — act now to stay protected.