A Look at Statin Cost-Effectiveness in View of the 2013 ACC/AHA Cholesterol Management Guidelines

• Published in: Current atherosclerosis reports Vol. 16; no. 9; p. 438
• Main Authors: Deaño, Roderick C., Pandya, Ankur, Jones, Erica C., Borden, William B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston Springer US 01-09-2014
• Subjects: 2013 Cholesterol Treatment Guidelines (AM Gotto; Angiology; Cardiology; Cardiovascular Diseases - drug therapy; Cardiovascular Diseases - economics; Cholesterol - metabolism; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - economics; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Section Editor; Topical Collection on 2013 Cholesterol Treatment Guidelines; Cardiovascular disease; Risk; Cost-effectiveness; Cholesterol; Guidelines
• ISSN: 1523-3804; 1534-6242
• DOI: 10.1007/s11883-014-0438-9

The 2013 cholesterol management guidelines presented a major shift in recommendations on which patients at risk of cardiovascular disease should be treated and how to treat them. Implementation of the guidelines is estimated to increase substantially the number of people who would be eligible for statin therapy. As the medical community considers the broad population impact of the new cholesterol guidelines, the issue of cost-effectiveness plays a role. This review covers the basic fundamentals of cost-effectiveness analysis and summarizes the key cost-effectiveness studies that relate to the new cholesterol guidelines.