title: Economic aspects of hypercholesterolemia treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors: a review of recent developments.
abstract: Recent literature on the cost effectiveness of hepatic hydroxy-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia is reviewed with a twofold objective. First, the relative cost effectiveness of treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors is compared with that of other interventions based on recent long term morbidity and mortality trials; and second, drugs within this therapeutic class are identified that produce the desired effect at minimum cost. Given the limited resources available to treat hypercholesterolemia, the question of establishing which subgroup of the population is most likely to benefit from treatment with statins is legitimate. The latest economic evidence is used to demonstrate that the most cost effective public health strategy is to identify the patient population that needs to be treated and to select the most cost effective treatment.
authors.affiliation: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc, Dorval, Quebec. pierre_macneil@merck.com
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: MacNeil
mesh_terms: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors