A simple glance at the chart below will tell you just how complicated the statin drugs marketplace has become. Only a few years ago I could refer to the brand names of three statin drugs: Mevacor, Pravachol and Zocor and completely portray statin use.
Then we had Lescol and Baycol. Baycol was subsequently removed from the market due to excessive muscle toxicity. Then came Lipitor and more recently Crestor, leaving us with six commonly used statins.
Statin drugs listed by trade name and generic name plus internal site links to statin drug related pages.
| Trade Name | Generic Name | Spacedoc.net Site Links |
| Advicor | Lovastatin with Niacin | Advicor Side Effects |
| Altocor | Lovastatin | See Mevacor |
| Altoprev | Lovastatin | See Mevacor |
| Atorlip | Atorvastatin | See Lipitor |
| Baycol | Cerivastatin (withdrawn 2001) | The Baycol Disaster |
| Caduet | Atorvastatin with Amlodipine (Norvasc) | See Lipitor |
| Canef | Fluvastatin | |
| Crestor | Rosuvastatin | Crestor Side Effects Crestor and Rhabdomyolisis Crestor Omega 3 and Heart Failure Crestor JUPITER Study Data |
| Inegy | Simvastatin with Ezetimibe (Zetia) | See Vytorin |
| Lescol | Fluvastatin | |
| Lipex | Simvastatin | See Zocor |
| Lipitor | Atorvastatin | Lipitor Side Effects Lipitor Thief of Memory Lipitor Amnesia Reports Medwatch Lipitor Cognitive Side Effects Lipitor Transient Global Amnesia |
| Lipobay | Cerivastatin (withdrawn 2001) | See Baycol |
| Lipostat | Pravastatin | See Pravachol |
| Lipvas | Atorvastatin | See Lipitor |
| Livalo | Pitavastatin | Pitavastatin |
| Mevacor | Lovastatin | Mevacor Side Effects |
| Pitava | Pitavastatin | Pitavastatin |
| Pravachol | Pravastatin | Pravachol Side Effects |
| Selektine | Pravastatin | See Pravachol |
| Simcard | Simvastatin | See Zocor |
| Simcor | Simvastatin with Niacin | Simcor |
| Simlup | Simvastatin | See Zocor |
| Sortis | Atorvastatin | See Lipitor |
| Torvacard | Atorvastatin | See Lipitor |
| Torvast | Atorvastatin | See Lipitor |
| Totalip | Atorvastatin | See Lipitor |
| Tulip | Atorvastatin | See Lipitor |
| Vytorin | Simvastatin | |
| Zocor | Simvastatin | Zocor Side Effects Zocor UK Side Effect Reports Zocor Mouse Stem Cells |
Then the marketing war really began and new names began to pop up in U.S.A. direct to patient advertising: Advicor (Mevacor and niacin), Simcor (Zocor and niacin), Vytorin (Zocor and Zetia), Lescol XL (extended release), Altoprev (Mevacor extended release) and Caduet (Lipitor and amlodipine).
Doctors were just as confused as their patients by this rapid expansion of available statins.
The next bit of confusion came with the inevitable loss of patent and the appearance of generics versions, the same drug in all respects except drastically reduced in price. As of the time of this writing, Mevacor, Pravachol and Zocor are now available in the generic forms lovastatin, pravastatin and simvastatin.... except when in their combined or extended release forms!
If this was not so funny it would truly be sad for all the medical establishment really needs to practice good, contemporary medicine is pravastatin, lovastatin, and simvastatin giving your doctor small, medium or large with respect to cholesterol blockade. And now it increasingly appears that cholesterol is irrelevant to atherosclerosis.
Duane Graveline MD MPH
Former USAF Flight Surgeon
Former NASA Astronaut
Retired Family Doctor
