Patients with cheaper drugs tended to take their medicine more consistently. A new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that the cost difference between generic and brand-name drugs seems to be a big factor when it comes to sticking with a medicationâespecially when it comes to statins, one of the most-prescribed drugs in the country.
Atkins continued performing in the 1990s, but his health declined after he was diagnosed again with cancer in 1996. He died on June 30, 2001, at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, ten days after his 77th birthday. His memorial service was held at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
The Medical Examiner's report had a hand-written note that Atkins had a history of myocardial infarction (heart attack), congestive heart failure, and hypertension (written h/o MI, CHF, HTN). The above Committee made much of this and began the rumor that Atkins had died of his own diet. The misconceptions remain to this day. The year following his death, his widow released a statement taking what she called unscrupulous individuals to task for spreading falsehoods about her husband.