title: [Statins consumption in autonomous communities in Spain: opportunities for savings].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify opportunities for reducing the costs of the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia, using cost-effectiveness criteria for selecting statins.
  
  
  METHODS
  Modelling the costs of prescription guided by cost-effectiveness criteria. The most cost-effective statin was determined by reviewing the cost-effectiveness literature. The frequency with which different ways of reducing LDL-c are required was calculated from epidemiological data. From data on consumption (units) and cost (pesetas) of statin prescription in Spain in 1997, the potential saving to be gained through cost-effective prescription was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Possible savings in 1997 if statins had been prescribed according to cost-effectiveness criteria were calculated at between 5435 and 7027 million pesetas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a chance of optimising resource allocation in treating hypercholesterolaemia by selecting the most cost-effective statin on the basis of the need for LDL-c reduction.
authors.affiliation: Novartis Farmacéutica, S.A. acobos@rdes.com
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cobos Carbó
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muñío Micolau
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bigorra Llosas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D017046:Cost Savings / Q000191:economics*; D016527:Drug Costs; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents