title: Cost-effectiveness of statin therapy for primary prevention in a low-cost statin era.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With wide availability of low-cost generics, primary prevention with statins has become less expensive. We projected the cost-effectiveness of expanded statin prescribing strategies using low-cost generics and identified conditions under which aggressive prescribing ceases to be cost-effective.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We simulated expanded statin prescribing strategies with the coronary heart disease policy model, a Markov model of the US population >35 years of age. If statins cost $4/mo, treatment thresholds of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol >160 mg/dL for low-risk persons (0 to 1 risk factor), >130 mg/dL for moderate-risk persons (≥2 risk factors and 10-year risk <10%), and >100 mg/dL for moderately high-risk persons (≥2 risk factors and 10-year risk >10%) would reduce annual healthcare costs by $430 million compared with Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Lowering thresholds to >130 mg/dL for persons with 0 risk factors and >100 mg/dL for persons with 1 risk factor and treating all moderate- and moderately high-risk persons regardless of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol would provide additional health benefits for $9900 per quality-adjusted life-year. These findings are insensitive to most adverse effect assumptions (including statin-associated diabetes mellitus and severe hypothetical effects) but are sensitive to large reductions in the efficacy of statins or to a long-term disutility burden for which a patient would trade 30 to 80 days of life to avoid 30 years of statins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Low-cost statins are cost-effective for most persons with even modestly elevated cholesterol or any coronary heart disease risk factors if they do not mind taking a pill daily. Adverse effects are unlikely to outweigh benefits in any subgroup in which statins are found to be efficacious.
authors.affiliation: Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: Lawrence D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lazar
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Pletcher
authors.forename: Pamela G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Coxson
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bibbins-Domingo
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goldman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D002784:Cholesterol