Facts and Ideas from Anywhere (Simvastatin Now Available over the Counter in Uk) (Stations in Children) (Tea Drinking and Hypertension) (Editorial‪)‬

OVER-THE-COUNTER ZOCOR The 10-mg dose of simvastatin (Zocor) recently became available to the public in the United Kingdom (UK) without a prescription (1). The UK government hopes that the easy availability of a low-cost statin (expected to cost $1 per day) will increase the drug's use and reduce cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in that nation. The UK is the first nation to approve an over-the-counter statin. I have been on an advisory board of Johnson & Johnson/Merck in the USA for 5 years; the board's purpose is to provide evidence to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that lovastatin (Mevacor) 20 mg should be available in the USA without a prescription. Hopefully, one or more statins will be approved for over-the-counter use in the USA before the end of 2004. It is estimated that 14 million Americans are presently taking a statin drug. If the National Cholesterol Education Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines were followed, at least 35 million Americans should be taking a statin drug. Based on the revised guidelines in July 2004, that number probably will reach 50 million, and if we really want to have a significant impact on our cardiovascular health, I think 100 million Americans should take a statin drug. If Mevacor is approved for over-the-counter use in the USA, it will be the first drug approved in this manner for chronic use, not for an acute condition.