New research has indicated a number of benefits of statins. Also overall
use has lagged as physicians remained on the cautious side. Some may be
picking up with greater evidence of safety. Also new studies indicate that
statins may help those with asthma by addressing inflammation in the lung,
lots more study is needed in this and other areas.

Studies are likely to identify diabetes medications that can delay onset of
diabetes.

What would be nice is a cheap test to predict who would have bad side
effects from any medicine. New studies may help identify these.

another area that I would like to see is studies of statins and no
intervention vs major invasive stents and vascular interventions.
Aggressive medication use may keep the invasive doctor away.

I take statins, beta blockers, and a baby aspirin a day for questionable
reasons (weird treadmill echo result, not the best exercise, able to
carefully monitor side effects, low costs of meds)  Lipitor did not set
well with me regarding ability to think and write as well, but many would
question this anyway. Vytorin (ezetimibe/simvastatin) has worked well.
There may also be some fat blocking capabilities (hope so).

I am not a big proponent of major drug use and I am one of the last to
prescribe new drugs, but there are realistic current uses and potential
uses that make sense.

From a public health standpoint there have been discussions of mini-pills
with combinations of various heart, vascular, and BP agents. Choice of
agents with lower side effects in patients that take the pills every day
can maximize population health for areas such as heart disease, vascular
disease, and stroke.

Given the risk factors for some of our complex stressed high risk patients,
there are reasons to begin such medications early and often to help close
gaps in longevity (avoiding reproductive complications)

Of course not having reasonable access to reasonable cost medications is
the biggest problem and none of the complex patients would trade todays
tens of thousands of scarce dollars to add future months or years. They
have no way to budget this.

Of course if I were the drug czar with complete control over the medication
access of the nation, all would have access to a certain medicine of value,
or none.

The current system only makes those with the worst risk factors the most
likely to have even poorer outcomes.

Of course the nation is led by a Congress that pays $100 per month and we
pay $1000 to get $1100 per month premium health insurance (can't find the
exact on internet searches)

Robert C. Bowman, M.D.
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