Treatment with pravastatin reduces the risk of coronary disease in elderly patients, according to results from the PROSPER*study presented at the 75th annual Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) [Chicago, US; November 2002] and subsequently published inThe Lancet.1,2This landmark study confirmed for the first time that statin therapy could significantly reduce the risks of coronary heart disease-related mortality and myocardial infarction (MI) in elderly patients with, or at a high risk of developing, cardiovascular disease."PROSPER clearly shows the benefit of pravastatin 40mg observed in middle-aged populations extends to older people", said Professor James Shepherd from the University of Glasgow, UK, who presented the results at the AHA meeting.