In what has been touted as the most important advance in stroke prevention since the introduction of aspirin, HMG CoA reductase inhibitors [statins] are the new hope for this devastating disorder. At the 4th World Stroke Congress [Melbourne, Australia; November 2000], Professor Pierre Amarenco from Hospital Lariboisiere, Paris, France, chaired a thought-provoking, Pfizer-sponsored, satellite symposium entitled'The role of statin therapy in stroke prevention'where the effectiveness of statins for the prevention of stroke was keenly debated. This curious link between cholesterol, statins and stroke was also explored further by several leading researchers in a Bayer-sponsored satellite symposium on stroke prevention in the elderly.