OTC statin treatment could help stem the cardiovascular disease epidemic

Discussion about an over the counter statin treatment....BD

Making statin treatment available without a prescription could help the fight against heart disease, says Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Director of the Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute and the Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health at The Mount Sinai Medical Center. Writing in the September 1 edition of The American Journal of Cardiology,

in the United States and remains the leading cause of death in this country. Cholesterol is a primary risk factor for heart disease. The number of Americans estimated to have coronary heart disease is expected to more than double by 2050, according to the editorial. "Even though statins have been available for 20 years, and have proven to be safe and effective in lowering cholesterol, many patients throughout the world still do not get this treatment," said Dr. Fuster. "We have made only limited progress tackling coronary heart disease, and we need additional approaches to prevent this epidemic from continuing.