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What Are the Different Statins?

Statin drugs are one of the most prescribed classes of drugs today. While primarily thought of as cholesterol-lowering drugs, they have many other benefits including lowering the risk of heart attack and death in those with coronary artery disease (CAD). Statins are the first drug of choice to treat elevated LDL cholesterol, or "bad" cholesterol. They were first introduced into the market in the 1980s.

  1. Atorvastatin

    • Atorvastatin, or Lipitor is manufactured by Pfizer. Pfizer states that Lipitor is the most researched statin on the market. Lipitor is 100 percent synthetic, compared to other statins which are derived from fungus. Lipitor is also effective at lowering triglycerides.

    Simvistatin

    • Simvistatin, or Zocor was approved by the FDA in 1991. This powerful statin can reduce LDL cholesterol by 50 percent. Zocor is manufactured by Merck and Co. It may be taken by patients as young as 10 years old. People allergic to starch, talc, cellulose, lactose, magnesium stearate, iron oxides or titanium dioxide should not take Zocor, as these are inactive ingredients in the drug.

    Pravastatin

    • Pravastatin, brand name Pravachol or Pravigard, is manufactured by Bristol-Meyers Squibb. It was approved by the FDA in 1991 and is derived from a mold called Nocardia autotrophica. It may be taken by children as young as 8 years old.

    Fluvastatin

    • Fluvastatin, or Lescol or Lexcol XL was approved for use in 1993. It is manufactured by Novartis and is one of the milder statins.

    Lovastatin

    • Lovastatin is manufactured by Merck and Co. and was given FDA approval in 1987. It is also sold under the brand names Mevacor, Advicor and Altoprev. It is available in both regular and time-release tablets. Large amounts of grapefruit juice should be avoided while taking Mevacor.

    Rosuvastatin and Pitavastatin

    • Rosuvastatin, or Crestor is manufactured by AstraZeneca and was approved for use in 2003. It is one of the strongest and most effective statins. Recently it has been criticized for not being thoroughly investigated before entering the market. Pitavastatin, or Livalo is the newest arrival in the statin market. It is manufactured by the Japanese company Kowa and has been used in Japan since 2003. It was approved by the FDA in August 2009 and will be available in the United States in 2010.

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