For the first time, the ability of simvastatin to ‘save lives’ has been shown in a large, placebo-controlled trial involving patients with coronary artery disease. This is good news for Merck, as the results are likely to give physicians renewed confidence in prescribing simvastatin to patients with this condition. Although simvastatin stole the show at the 67th Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association [Dallas, US; November 1994], ground-breaking results were also presented for pravastatin. The Kuopio Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (KAPS) showed that this drug is effective in the primary prevention setting. Compared with placebo, pravastatin significantly reduced the risk of atherosclerosis in individuals with mild to moderate hypercholesterolaemia who had no cardiac disease.