The manufacturer of a newer drug may quote research to support
the promotional argument, but who pays for
the research to be done? Generally, it is
the manufacturer of the drug that is being promoted.
You can find out if lovastatin is effective for you by having your cholesterol tested after you have been on it for a while. My mother has been on three different statins, and two of them reduced her cholesterol, and one did not. Different statins are effective for different people.