Statins
Tens of millions of people around the world are currently taking statin drugs to lower their cholesterol. These medications make more money for the pharmaceutical industry than any other medications in history.
There are a number of different statins, with different brand names, for example:
Atorvastatin (Lipitor, Torvast)
Fluvastatin (Lescol)
Pravastatin (Pravachol)
Rosuvastatin (Crestor)
Simvastatin (Zocor, Lipex).
Statins are also found in combination drugs such as Vytorin (which is comprised of ezetimibe and simvastatin).
Most people who take statins do not have cardiovascular disease - they are taking statins in the hope of preventing future disease. However, when statins are taken in these circumstances, the adverse effects associated with the drugs may considerably outweigh any benefits.
The benefits of statins have been grossly exaggerated and the adverse effects have been ignored or played down.
Drug companies control the vast majority of medical research, and have a huge influence over what is published in medical journals. Therefore, what we think about medicines is largely determined by what drug companies want us to think about them.
The pharmaceutical industry is probably the most powerful industry in the world. The regulatory bodies (such as the FDA in America, the MHRA and NICE in the UK) are supposed to protect us from the immense power that large pharmaceutical companies now have. But our regulatory authorities have failed us terribly, and in recent years they seem to have been more concerned with keeping drug companies happy rather than protecting public health.
For an introduction to the issues surrounding statins, please read this article: