Statins

Statin prescribing in England at record high, show NICE data

Figures show that atorvastatin prescribing increased from 4.2 million people in 2022/2023 to 5.0 million people in 2023/2024.…

Statins offer cost-effective benefit for older people, study results suggest

The researchers found that lifetime use of a standard statin therapy increased quality-adjusted life years by 0.24–0.70 per person.…

Statin alternative may be as effective in cutting risk of heart attack and stroke, shows research

Researchers say it was not known until now that bempedoic acid offered cardiovascular benefit, as well as lowering LDL-C.…

Should all adults be considered for statin therapy?

A closer look at the arguments for and against the latest changes to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines for statin therapy.…

Statins ‘rarely’ cause muscle pain in patients, find researchers

Results of a study looking at whether statins cause muscle problems showed only a 3% increased relative risk of muscle problems in people taking statins compared with placebo.…

Statins should not be stopped in older people owing to their benefits, say researchers

People with lower cardiovascular disease risk who stopped taking statins aged 80 years lost 73% of their potential benefit if they took them for the rest of their lives, a modelling study has suggested.…

NHS Health Checks catch patients who would benefit from statins but majority are not prescribed them

Of eligible patients who attended an NHS Health Check, 26 in 1,000 were prescribed statins, compared with 8 in 1,000 of those who did not attend, study results show.…

Top ten research briefings of 2020

This year, all but one of our most-popular research briefings were, unsuprisingly, on the topic of COVID-19.…

Consistent use of statins linked to reduced risk of cancer death

Women who take cholesterol-lowering medicines, who are subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer, colorectal cancer or melanoma, are less likely to die from their cancer if they adhere to their cholesterol medicines, research published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology has su…

Patients taking placebo and statins experience similar side effects

Patients experience similar side effects taking a placebo as they do taking a statin, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine has suggested.…