what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs help prevent heart attacks for at least a decade after people stop taking them, the first long-term study of the world's top-selling type of medication finds.
The research follows up on a study in Scotland showing that men taking the drug Pravachol for five years substantially lowered their risk of heart attack and death from heart disease.
They were followed for another 10 years after most stopped taking the drug. That group was compared with a group of men who were given dummy pills during the five-year study. There was a 25 per cent lower risk of heart attack or death from heart disease among those in the statin group, when compared with the placebo group....

The original article can be found at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071010.wcholes1010/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20071010.wcholes1010

The original article can found in the Media Doctor archives.

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what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

This study found an apparent benefit in the long term use of statin drugs. While the evidence is explained with a number of careful caveats, what we don't learn is if there are any harms related to long-term statin use, or what the absolute benefits actually are. People who continued to take statins after the end of a clinical trial may have experienced a "25 per cent lower risk of heart attack or death from heart disease" compared with the placebo group but this number is not particularly helpful. Other important information were left out of the report, including the benefit of alternatives or the costs of the treatment. It was good to see the reporter explain the funding of the study (funded by the manufacturer) and the potential conflicts of interest of the researchers.

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