Statin prescribing in Europe: a comparison of differences and potential impact on health outcomes

The benefit of treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins) is unquestioned, with multiple studies over the last 20 years having shown that statins improve cardiovascular (CV) outcomes.1 Although all statins reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), their potencies differ. The decreasing order of potency (per milligram) for LDL-C reduction is: rosuvastatin, atorvastatin, simvastatin and pravastatin.