Move to switch statins to non-prescription in US
BMJ 2004; 329 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.329.7468.704-a (Published 23 September 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;329:704
- Jeanne Lenzer
- New York
US medical authorities should follow the lead of Britain and allow the sale of cholesterol lowering agents without a prescription, said a US professor of medicine in an editorial published in the American Journal of Cardiology (2004;94:753-6).
British medical authorities switched simvastatin (Zocor) to over the counter status in July, making it the first statin to be available without prescription. Dr Antonio Gotto, professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, applauded the move, saying that the “proven effectiveness and good safety record of statin medications argues for a similar move in the US.”
Johnson & Johnson-Merck is reapplying to the US Food and Drug Administration for over the counter …
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