Oh, here goes Bob, statin-bashing again… (And, yes, I know that's not how Staten Island is spelled.)
I was led to a press release by http://www.hbsslaw.com/press_release_Lipitor.htm about an article in January 20th issue of The Lancet, the famous British Medical Journal.
Excerpts:
As you know, I am lukewarm about statins at best, and have argued against what I see as overprescribing, unsupported inuendo campaigns among physicians to support off-label prescriptions, and the exploitation of the public through fear of heart disease to push patients into accepting prescriptions for statin drugs.
I see this article and lawsuit with a sigh of relief. If I'm crazy, I'm not alone.
Best wishes,
I was led to a press release by http://www.hbsslaw.com/press_release_Lipitor.htm about an article in January 20th issue of The Lancet, the famous British Medical Journal.
Excerpts:
More information about the nature of the class action lawsuit now in play against Pfizer, and about some of the studies referenced by it is available at http://www.hbsslaw.com/frontend?com...ssReleasePrintableDetail&iPressReleaseId=1020Article in The Lancet Claims Lipitor ® Is Over-Prescribed to Millions of Americans. Award-winning physician John Abramson argues that clinical trials provide no evidence of lowering cholesterol in women and elderly. January 22, 2007
The article…shows that clinical trials for coronary heart disease prevention fail to prove that anti-cholesterol drugs, such as Lipitor, provide benefit for many in the U.S. who are taking them.
Dr. Abramson and co-author Dr. Jim Wright of the Therapeutics Initiative in British Columbia say that statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs, should not be prescribed for the primary prevention of heart disease to women of all ages or to men older than 69 years of age.
According to Abramson, the article titled "Are Lipid-Lowering Guidelines Evidence-Based?" shows that no studies have shown statin drugs to be effective for women and men 69 years of age or older who do not already have heart disease or diabetes.
…the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines significantly increased the number of Americans for whom statins were recommended. The number jumped from 13 million to more than 36 million Americans, with most of the additional 23 million for whom statins were recommended yet to develop coronary heart disease.
"…the truth is the guidelines exaggerate the benefits of statins for many people who don't yet have heart disease. " said Abramson. "Millions of Americans are taking statin drugs like Lipitor without any clinical proof that they're beneficial to disease prevention, or any other benefit to their overall health."
In September 2005, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Pfizer, the maker of Lipitor, alleging that Pfizer engaged in a massive campaign to convince both doctors and patients that Lipitor is a beneficial treatment for nearly everyone with elevated cholesterol, even though no studies have shown it to be effective for women and those over 65 years of age who do not already have heart disease or diabetes.
… John Abramson, M.D. serves as a clinical instructor of ambulatory care at Harvard Medical School
As you know, I am lukewarm about statins at best, and have argued against what I see as overprescribing, unsupported inuendo campaigns among physicians to support off-label prescriptions, and the exploitation of the public through fear of heart disease to push patients into accepting prescriptions for statin drugs.
I see this article and lawsuit with a sigh of relief. If I'm crazy, I'm not alone.
Best wishes,