Editorial counterpoint: What are our priorities for prevention?

By Gregory Plotnikoff

Last update: November 11, 2008 - 12:12 PM

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Regarding the Tuesday editorial on the study of the benefits of the heart drug Crestor:

Overall, the study found 83 heart attacks, strokes and deaths from cardiac causes among the 8,901 patients given Crestor (0.9 percent) comared with 157 in the equal number getting a placebo (1.8 percent). That means 120 people would need to be treated for two years at $3.45 a day per person to prevent just one cardiac event.

The total cost for the 120 people to prevent the one heart attack? It's $300,000.

This data is what the head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic called an "out-of-the park home run."

Now, taking the medicine still did not eliminate the risk; 83 people (who would be paying $3.45 per day each day for two years, roughly $2,500 per person) still had a heart attack.

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