Statins go mainstream

Statins go mainstream
Meanwhile, the remarkably effective statins gradually go generic, lowering costs significantly.
Since their introduction in 1987, statin drugs such as Zocor, Lipitor and Crestor have helped reduce deaths from heart disease, which remains the nation's No.1 killer. Experts credit the drug class for contributing to a better than 36 percent decline in deaths from coronary heart disease between 1996 and 2006.
Basically, statins work by blocking an enzyme in the liver that manufactures cholesterol.
Statins' success has prompted some advocates to compare them to antibiotics in terms of impact — and half-jokingly suggest statins, like fluoride, should be added to the drinking water..............

Only half!