Pharmaco-economic impact of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors in type 2 diabetes.

Dyslipidemia is very common in diabetics and substantially increases the risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease. Pharmacological therapy with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors ('statins') is effective for dyslipidemia, but the cost and efficacy of individual therapies vary. Therefore, the interest in cost-effective pharmacologic interventions for the prevention of cardiovascular disease events in diabetics has increased. In this article, the literature pertaining to the epidemiology, cost and efficacy of statins in preventing cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, in both the primary and secondary prevention settings, is reviewed. Cost-effectiveness studies of statins in the diabetic population are detailed, along with recommendations for further research.