Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
To the Editor. — The article by the Lipid Research Clinics Program1on reduction in instances of coronary artery disease was a very useful study for the physician interested in primary prevention of coronary artery disease. I have had relatively poor success keeping patients on a regimen of cholestyramine in my own practice because of the cost. The least expensive form of cholestyramine resin available through a local pharmacy would cost my patient 31. 20 a week to take 24 g/day. This comes to a total cost of 1, 622. 40 a year. If, as the study suggests, there are 1 1/2 million Americans who would qualify for this form of therapy, the cost considerations become impressive. Some simple arithmetic demonstrates that the cost nationwide for each patient spared a cardiac end point is 715, 764. 70. Who says that coronary artery surgery is expensive?
Roger A. Renfrew (Fri,) studied this question.