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No Difference Between Statin Drugs

The statin smackdown contest between Crestor and Lipitor is a draw. At least that is the conclusion of a new study that pitted high doses of both cholesterol-lowering drugs. Over a thousand patients were randomized to either Crestor or Lipitor. Investigators compared the thickness of the plaque in the coronary arteries. After two years they found it had shrunk by about 1 percent in both groups. The study was not designed to show whether patients would be less likely to have heart attacks. Since both drugs performed about the same, insurance companies are likely to prefer the less expensive medication, now that Lipitor is about to go off patent.
[New England Journal of Medicine, Nov 15, 2011]

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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