Statins – the most important invention of the past half century?

Are statins the most important, influential, momentous invention of recent decades?  There is a case that they are.

In 1976 a Japanese scientist named Akira Endo discovered the product of a fungus could inhibit the action of an enzyme known to be involved in making cholesterol in the liver. The earliest commercial product, mevastatin, had problems and never became a big seller, but with the proof of concept and a growing realization of the dangers of serum cholesterol, pharmaceutical companies were on their way.

It was in the 1990s that statins hit it big both commercially and in their impact on public health.  The development and release of simvastatin, atorvastatin, and rosuvastatin in the 90s and 2000s, and the push by the drug companies and medical industry to get people to take these drugs, resulted in over a hundred million people worldwide with a prescription.

And the usage does not appear to be in danger of decline in the foreseeable future.  Public health officials are calling for an increase, if anything.

The impact of this statin use is difficult to quantify, but patients routinely add years to their lives by taking the drugs. Heart disease is still the leading cause of death in the US (using the CDC’s classification of mortality), but rates are decreasing, and the average age at death is increasing.

What are other candidates for most important invention? History will judge and there is a good chance the answer is some little known innovation at this time that will later prove to be important. But if you look at other inventions: cell phones networks, smart phones, new ways to sterilize items, hyper-text transfer protocol, ever shrinking computers yes, important all. But these mostly enhance the quality of life; they don’t extend life. They increase GDP, for sure, although they also waste our time.

It’s a matter of opinion, but it seems statins are underappreciated when it comes to effect on human society.