Study Quantifies Statin Drug Risks

Back in April I alerted readers to the FDA's approval for AstraZeneca to begin marketing its best selling statin drug Crestor to an estimated 6.5 million Americans who have no cholesterol problems and no sign of heart problems (as a "preventive" measure). But a new study published in the British Medical Journal this past May may put the brakes on AstraZeneca's ambitious plans to move as many as 1 in 2 Americans onto statins over the next decade. For perhaps the first time, the researchers have quantified the level of harm posed by the cholesterol-lowering drugs. If you don't have the inclination to read the actual study, here is a good summary of the results from the Daily Mail newspaper.