Statins are a lot like climate change. Two sides, the establishment versus outsiders, each claiming their side is correct, arguing over mountains of data that you can never personally verify.

However, there is zero financial incentive for a physician to prescribe a statin. They are all generic medications. A month prescription is approximately $10.

We do not yet have final word on this topic, we will have a better understanding as time progresses, but until then I continue to recommend statins to my patients with appropriate risk factors, for the same reasons I find climate change credible. The data showing benefit is not just limited to the United States, it is international, and to essentially falsify something involving millions of individuals and thousands of researchers around the world just isn't feasible.

> There is zero financial incentive for a physician to prescribe a statin.

Well, doctors make money when they prescribe drugs: Patients will make more doctor visits when they are on prescription medications than if they are not.

> The data showing benefit...

The reason for the benefit is not fully understood. The argument is that the benefit comes not from lowering cholesterol but from reducing inflammation and stabilizing plaque. The medical community has no incentive to research this because they are raking in money, and any further research could only slow down the gravy train at best.