Researchers from Kaiser Permanente's Northern California region are presenting a study at this week's American Heart Association Scientific Sessions showing that patients who use a generic statin drug rather than its brand-name equivalent fared as well as- sometimes better than-patients on the more expensive drug.
The study of 33,000 patients observed their health after a switch from the brand name drug simvastatin (Zocor) to lovastatin (Mevacor) over a 12-month period. According to the study's lead author, Eleanor Levin, MD, Chief of Cardiology for Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, "All of the participants maintained the same cholesterol levels using lovastatin as under the simvastatin regime, and some saw their LDL levels improve."
In the primary prevention group involved in the study, LDL cholesterol fell on average from 119.4 on the brand-name drug to 116.6 on lovastatin, while HDL ("good" cholesterol) rose from 50.9 on simvastatin to 53.0 on lovastatin. The secondary prevention group showed similar results; LDL cholesterol fell from 101.1 to 99.0 after the transition from brand-name to generic statin, while HDL rose from 45.7 to 48.1.
In addition to better health for Kaiser Permanente patients, successful conversion to a generic drug will lead to better outcomes for low-income patients and the nation's health in general, as Dr. Levin outlined. "As many as 20 percent of patients in the US say they don't fill prescriptions because they can't afford them. As physicians, the main thing that stands between us and the effectiveness of the medication regime we prescribe is the issue of affordability for our patients. Statins can't prevent heart attack and stroke unless you take them," she said.