Notes from Lecture by Gerber
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--6/25/08 report from U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
--statins are cholesterol-lowering drugs, and are said to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke by lowering "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides, and raising relative levels of "good" cholesterol
--use increased by 156% between 2000 and 2005
--15.8 million people-->>29.7 million people
--spending on statins: $7.7 billion-->>$19.7 billion annually
--total number of outpatient prescriptions for statins 90 million-->>174 million in 2005
--average individual annual expenditure on statins: $484 in 2000-->> $661 in 2005.
--including atorvastatin (Pfizer, brand Lipitor), pravastatin or Pravachol (Bristol Myers Squibb), fluvastatin (Novartis, brand Lescol), and more
--my mom is on a statin
( STATINS: a huge topic, this is only a taste )