Current search for heart disease treatment may not be fruitful

Current search for heart disease treatment may not be fruitful. New research suggests C-reactive protein does not cause coronary heart disease - %0A " - Imperial College London News Release Under strict embargo for - 21. British Summer Time - 15. Central Time (USA) - 22. Central European time - Tuesday 30 June 2009 A protein used by doctors to indicate a patient's risk of coronary heart disease may have drug developers barking up the wrong treatment tree, according to the authors of a study published today in the ). Their research suggests that C-reactive protein, an enticing target for scientists working on new treatments for coronary heart disease, may not have a role in causing the disease, even though it is a predictive marker. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and is particularly common in Western countries, including the UK, where it is responsible for over 100,000 deaths per year.