Previous clinical trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs have been weakened by their limited efficacy and acceptability to patients. In older patients, the administration of cholesterol-lowering drugs may be further complicated by interactions with drugs taken for other more pressing conditions. However, since the Food and Drug Administration approved the HMG CoA reductase inhibitor, lovastatin, in September 1987, the agent has been efficacious and well-tolerated by patients of all ages, and has been used increasingly widely.