LUCKNOW, Oct. 13 -- For heart patients, surviving a heart attack is only the first hurdle; the cost of preventing another can be a long-term financial burden. A study by Lucknow's Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) has found that a combination of three oral medicines costing around Rs.20 a day helped nearly 85% of patients who underwent stenting bring their bad cholesterol below recommended levels within 48 weeks, offering a more affordable option for long-term cholesterol control.

The study, involving 322 patients, found that 84.8% achieved low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, levels below 70 mg/dL after 48 weeks of treatment. Another 69.6% brought their levels below 55 mg/dL. The findings w...