Are Higher Doses Of Cholesterol Drugs Worth The Extra Money?
4/24/2007 Source: University of Michigan Health System Method used in study could help evaluate cost-effectiveness of other drugs, too When it comes to cholesterol-lowering drugs, more is better. At least, thats what heart doctors and heart patients have been hearing in recent years. And as a result, more patients are taking higher doses of drugs called statins leading to lower heart and stroke risk, but higher prescription drug costs and more frequent side effects. Now, a new study looks at whether those higher doses, and higher costs, are really going to pay off for some patients. For those with a recent heart attack or what doctors call acute coronary syndrome, the answer is yes, the researchers say. But the picture is less clear for those patients with known heart blockages who have stable symptoms. For them, the usual dose of their statin may provide adequate heart-protecting benefit, and the higher cost of high-dose statins may provide only marginal benefit at much greater cost,
