Analyzes the Effectiveness and Safety of Statin Use for Those
Who Need It
Recommendations for Choosing a ‘Best Buy’ Statin and
Strategies for Money-Saving
YONKERS, N.Y., June 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A series
of new reports from Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs
(BBD) caution that the benefits of statin use by children
and some women may not outweigh the risks. Drugs to lower
cholesterol — including statins — are the most commonly
prescribed drugs in the U.S. and garnered more than $14 billion in sales last year.
The BBD reports also analyze the effectiveness of statin drugs
to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart attack and death and
to treat people who have cardiovascular disease. The report finds
that a number of low-cost generic statins are as effective and safe
as more expensive brand-name drugs in reducing these risks. The
Consumer Reports BBD reports coincide with the introduction
of Livalo, the so-called 7th statin, in an already
crowded class of drugs.
The reports, available for free at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org,
note that there are no long-term studies of statin use in kids that
establish whether or not these medications reduce the number of
heart attacks or other cardiovascular events in adulthood. There is
also concern over the long-term potential risk for children and
adolescents who use these medications for years or decades,
particularly the effects on the developing central nervous system,
organs, immune function, and ho
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