VOA慢速英语2019 鱼油类药物被推荐广泛使用

（单词翻译）

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