Statins to be available from chemists

STATINS are to be made available over the counter in a bid to prevent thousands of heart attacks and strokes, the head of the NHS has announced, despite concerns from doctors.

It is thought nearly 8million adults in the UK take statins but many more are at risk who do not take the drug. Making it available over the counter will make it easier for people to get hold of the life-saving medicine.

Statins are currently only available on prescription through a GP.

Simon Stevens, the NHS chief executive, made the announcement yesterday at the NHS Health and Care Innovation Expo in Manchester.

It follows Monday’s statement that high street pharmacists will soon offer heart checks. From October, the chemists will roll out a “rapid detection service” that includes electrocardiograms to spot irregular heartbeats, as well as checks on blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Eligibility for the statins will not change, Mr Stevens said yesterday, but by enabling pharmacists to make them available to patients it could deal with an “unmet need” that exists for the drug. Mr Stevens said: “Since the NHS will be funding local chemists to undertake health checks, it makes sense to consider whether there are a broader range of medicines that patients could access conveniently and locally on the high street.”

However, Prof Helen Stokes-lampard, chairman of the Royal College of GPS, said: “We have concerns about making these drugs more easily accessible, without a prescription. GPS are mindful of the risks of overdiagnosis and over-treatment.”

Mr Stevens said: “The NHS will work with the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) to see how we can best make this happen. After cancer lung scanning trucks in supermarket car parks and High Street heart checks, this is another step toward making care and treatment more accessible, convenient and effective.”

Statins cost around 4p per patient per day and can help to reduce the level of “bad cholesterol” in the blood which leads to fatty deposits building up and hardening the arteries.

Research from Cambridge University, funded by the British Heart Foundation and published at the European Society of Cardiology Conference in Paris this week, has shown that the benefits of statins are potentially even higher than previously reported.

Dr Keith Ridge, the chief pharmaceutical officer at NHS England, said: “Used appropriately, statins are effective and can save lives.”

But Prof Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, warned: “For people who haven’t had a heart attack or stroke, starting to take statins on a long-term basis is an important decision.

“It requires dialogue between a patient and their doctor or healthcare provider.”