Amarin Corp Plc (AMRN)

[KCSVEN]

Let us not overstate Statins. Very few people have life extended by statins

http://chriskresser.com/the-diet-heart-myth-statins-dont-save-lives-in-people-without-heart-disease


An analysis by Dr. David Newman in 2010 which drew on large meta-analyses of statins found that among those with pre-existing heart disease that took statins for 5 years

96% saw no benefit at all
1.2% (1 in 83) had their lifespan extended (were saved from a fatal heart attack)
2.6% (1 in 39) were helped by preventing a repeat heart attack
0.8% (1 in 125) were helped by preventing a stroke
0.6% (1 in 167) were harmed by developing diabetes
10% (1 in 10) were harmed by muscle damage

Moreover, these results do not apply to all populations across the board. Most studies have shown that while statins do reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and deaths from CVD in women, they do not reduce the risk of death from all causes (“total mortality”). (2)

Nor do these results apply to men or women over the age of 80. Statins do reduce the risk of heart attack and other CVD events in men over the age of 80, and especially at this age, these events can have a significant negative impact on quality of life. However, the bulk of the evidence suggests that statins don’t extend life in people over 80 years of age, regardless of whether they have heart disease, and the highest death rates in people over 80 are associated with the lowest cholesterol levels

The only population that statins extend life in are men under 80 years of age with pre-existing heart disease.
In men under 80 without pre-existing heart disease, men over 80 with or without heart disease, and women of any age with or without heart disease, statins have not been shown to extend lifespan.
Statins do reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in all populations. A heart attack or stroke can have a significant, negative impact on quality of life—particularly in the elderly—so this benefit should not be discounted.
However, the reductions in cardiovascular events are often more modest than most assume; 60 people with high cholesterol but no heart disease would need to be treated for 5 years to prevent a single heart attack, and 268 people would need to be treated for 5 years to prevent a single stroke.
Statins have been shown to cause a number of side effects, such as muscle pain and cognitive problems, and they are probably more common than currently estimated due to under-reporting.