Re: Pfizer Is Sued Over Lipitor Marketing

On Dec 26 2007, 9:36 pm, David Rollo <dro...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Without going into the merits of Polansky's lawsuit, which sounds
quite plausible to me, the comments that "pharm industry wants the
whole world over the age of 45 to be on
statins" and that "cholesterol levels go up as one gets older, the
evidence that it is harmful at all is not conclusive" are not really
relevant. The common belief that the aim of statin therapy is to lower
cholesterol is a mistake.  The whole focus on cholesterol numbers is
probably misguided, although they do correlate with serious adverse
events in most populations (and yes, with some notable exceptions).

The aim of statin therapy is not to lower cholesterol, but to prevent
heart attacks, strokes and premature death. How statins might do this
could almost be considered irrelevant. However I don't see how anyone
could regard the evidence that statins successfully achieve this in
most groups studied as other than very convincing. ..................

..................Conclusion: If you really want to save
the world from vascular disease, offering everyone over 45 (or maybe
50, or 55) a generic statin is the strategy most likely to be
effective, however unpalatable and clumsy mass-medication might appear
to be.

David Rollo
Cardiologist, Melbourne Australia

A recent study published in the Lancet would disagree it found no
benefit from statins in either women or the elderly in primary
prevention in fact the only group that recieved a slight benefit was
middle aged men.

As most statins are used in primary care this view is not universally
endorsed heres an interesting review from the University of British
Columbia

Do Statins have a Role in Primary Prevention? http://www.ti.ubc.ca/en/node/52
,,,,,,,,,,,,Conclusions:
If cardiovascular serious adverse events are viewed in isolation, 71
primary prevention patients with cardiovascular risk factors have to
be treated with a statin for 3 to 5 years to prevent one myocardial
infarction or stroke.

This cardiovascular benefit is not reflected in 2 measures of overall
health impact, total mortality and total serious adverse events.
Therefore, statins have not been shown to provide an overall health
benefit in primary prevention trials. "


No mortality benefit nor reduction in serious adverse events not the
life saving drug so offen over marketed. To populations unlikely to
recieve benefit.
Thanks Vince
.

Relevant Pages

  • Update for Primary Healthcare Providers: Recent Statin Trials and Revised National Cholesterol Educa
    ... National Cholesterol Education Program III Guidelines ... Statins produce large, clinically important beneficial effects on total ... Adult Treatment Panel III included LDL as the primary target, ... adverse events, when available. ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: The Cholesterol Con - Where Were the Doctors?
    ... many years of the Cholesterol Con - where were the doctors? ... "Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good?", which blew the lid off the theory ... Pravachol - can cut the odds that you will die of a heart attack by ... Although medical research suggests that statins can definitely ...
    (soc.retirement)
  • Statins versus Vitamin D (long but interesting hypothesis)
    ... Are statins analogues of vitamin D?David S GrimesMD a ... and why statins might be acting in some other way to reduce ... Can the same be said of statins for heart disease? ... Cholesterol was assumed to originate from diet, ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • Re: How high is high?
    ... Your question implies you are thinking of preventive use of cholesterol ... "Do statin have a role in primary prevention?" ... If cardiovascular serious adverse events are viewed in isolation, ... statins have not been shown to provide an overall health ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)
  • Re: Statins OVERSTATED if not High risk heart patient
    ... Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good? ... Research suggests that, except among high-risk heart patients, the ... a Slew of Side Effects from Statins ...
    (sci.med.cardiology)