the correlation coefficient there was only 0.36.
Any hard math person would tell you that that number is a joke. I will believe the hard math people.
I know too many hard math people, that disagree, relative risk is useless, you look for a term called absolute risk and all cause morality. By the way, not only heard that from Professor Kauffman, but, stats people from the University of Pittsburgh.
I know that the drug companies court people in the medical profession. My sister physician’s office has food delivered to them, each and every day without asking for it. As stated by Dr. Kassirer, the drug industry spends $20 billion per year to court the medical profession. If the medical profession could not bought, why are the drug companies spending billions to court them??? I think physicians are underpaid and I agree with many of your posts and viewpoints. When physicians are undercompensated, that hurts the patients, less time for the physician to research to protect the patient. I respect your right to your viewpoints and to take your statin as you wish. However, many in the medical profession do not respect our right to dissent, to disagree. I agree, the paperwork is excessive and under ObamaCare, it will be much more tyrannical. Physicians spend many years in med school and have a right to an excellent income, we agree. The cost of courting the medical professional is paid by individuals who can barely afford their medication, is this right? The courting of the medical profession is not free, nothing on this earth is free. I wish the government would get off the backs of the medical profession, especially in unfunded mandates. I think that many times, physicians do not have time to research to protect the patient, because of tons of regulations. I like the physicians and nurses, I detest the government and insurance companies, I wish they would go away.
You appear to be unaware that many medical organizations frown upon drug rep influence. I grew up in Army medicine so to speak and they were banned from our campus. One Colonel was fired as head of his department for accepting a turkey dinner at Thanksgiving. At Kaiser, there were very stringent rules that were enforced. You have added nothing in your post. Now, why don’t you go and find the influence between the FDA and big Pharma, or how about the sweat heart deal that Obama made with big Pharma to pass the health care bill. Every doctor allows his patient the right to accept or refuse therapy considered. I just don’t see much wisdom in your post nor in you allegations that cholesterol medications are not at all effective. Sorry, just my opinion.
I would say the sweetheart deal with big Pharma AND the health insurance companies to pass the “health care” bill. 
IMHO, it was a giant giveaway to exactly the folks who caused a lot of the problems in the first place. And just wait 'til the costs skyrocket! <Sigh>
So true Dori.
According to Professor Kauffman and Dr. Ravnskov, the absoluite risk of an individual having a heart attack in any one year, regardless of health condition, is 0.2 percent absolute risk. You would need to treat 667 patients(Liptor) to benefit one patient, that is absolutely lousy, and that was not the worst ratio. I think you are unaware that I detest the FDA and Big Pharma. I saw a funny cartoon about the FDA, “You will die, but, at least you will die safely.” What a joke! Big Pharma has an incredible influence over the FDA, I think it is a crime. There have been many, many articles in the Wall Street Journal about the sweetheart deals between Big Pharma and Obama. Honestly, I detest Big Pharma, the FDA, and Obama, cannot stand either one. I do not trust the FDA as far as I can throw them. I would be happy to post the sweetheart deals between Obama and Big Pharma from Wall Street.
The problems with the health care industry started with the political elite meddling in situations that are not any of their business. The average family or individual cannot afford to pay the costs of over 2,000 unfunded insurance mandates imposed by the political elite, these actions push the chronically ill individuals out of the health insurance market. The lack of competition in selling health insurance policies is a favor granted by the political elite to their friends in the health insurance industry. The lack of competition is what most business people crave, they can charge outrageous premiums, and the health consumer cannot push back. Costs are going to skyrocket because of Obama and his unfunded mandates. The political elite impose unfunded mandates to win votes and win political office, while other people are paying the bill for these clowns to be reelected. It is an incredible scam. In a monopoly situation, the consumer is the one being hurt, the medical field really needs competition. We need to give the health care consumer more economic freedom to seek out providers that will look out for the best interest of the patient. Sadly, we do not have a magical ward to get rid of medical costs, they have to be paid at some point. The group of people that are driving these costs thru the roof is the government. In fact, if we cut physician’s salaries by 50 percent, this would not decrease the cost of health care. The FDA and Big Pharma do not exist to help us, they exist to help themselves.