a serum cholesterol level above 250 milligrams per deciliter(mg) of blood is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in humans. at a medical center in st. Louis a study to test the effectiveness of a new cholesterol-lowering drug was conducted. one hundred people with cholesterol levels between 250 (mg) and 300 (mg) were available for this study. fifty people were assigned at random to each of two treatment groups. one group received the standard cholesterol-lowering medication and the other group received the new drug. after taking the drug for three weeks the 50 subjects who received the standard treatment had a mean decrease in cholesterol level of 10 (mg) with a standard deviation of 8 (mg) and the 50 subjects who received the new drug had a mean decrease of 18 (mg) with a standard deviation of 12 (mg).

Does the new drug appear to be more effective than the standard treatment in lowering mean cholesterol level? Give appropriate statistical evidence to support your conclusion.