Objectives To determine patterns in antilipidemic drug prescriptions among a group of patients covered by the General Social Security System (Sistema General de Seguridad Social) in Colombia. Methods A descriptive, observational study was conducted of 41 580 hyperlipidemics of both sexes, who were over 20 years of age, undergoing treatment from at least April to June 2006, and were residents of one of 19 cities in Colombia. A database was created to track prescription data collected by the pharmaceutical company that dispenses