“If people took their medications as prescribed, diabetes would not evolve and worsen, blood pressure would normalize, cholesterol would be reduced dramatically, and the risk for severe health problems, such as heart attack or stroke, would be reduced. Patients would live longer and probably enjoy a higher quality of life,” Dr. Pringle stated in a press release from Pharmacy Quality Alliance (PQA), which funded the Pennsylvania Project. “This untapped resource could be harnessed and used to improve public health and reduce overall health care costs.” In fact, the study showed annual health care spending per patient fell by $241 for those taking statins and $341 for those taking oral diabetes medications, which the authors said translates to a total estimated savings of $1.4 million over a 1-year period for a payer with 10,000 members receiving statins, oral diabetes drugs, or both.