I've taken Simvastatin for years with no side effects. My statin is generic and I doubt anyone makes much $ from it. However, it's clear that the drug companies have too much influence in our current medical system. Unfortunately, most of us are incapable of making a truly informed decision. We can read snippets and "studies" on the internet but we don't have biology degrees or understand the methodology of the studies, etc. I understand that people are healthier in most other "advanced" countries. It would be interesting to know how statins are used in Canada and England, for example.