Statins ‘offer little benefit’ to those with low risk of disease

MILLIONS of people are taking statins unnecessarily, a new study suggests.

Its authors said there was little clear evidence justifying use of the daily pill for people who were not suffering from some form of cardiovascular disease.

NHS recommendations say millions of people who have not suffered a heart attack or stroke should take statins as a preventative measure. But the experts, writing in the British Medical Journal, said the drugs could do more harm than good, and offered tiny benefit for people at low risk.

Statins, which cost pennies each, work by lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood. LDL cholesterol can lead to a build-up of fatty plaque in the arteries, which can lead to heart disease and stroke. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended in 2014 that statins be offered to people whose 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease was greater than 10 per cent.

This risk is worked out using factors such as age, ethnicity and social background, and whether the person smokes or has diabetes. Paula Byrne and John Cullinan, from the National University of Ireland Galway, and Susan Smith, from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, say the benefits of statins are unclear for many people.

“Although statins are commonly prescribed, serious questions remain about their benefit and acceptability for primary prevention, particularly in patients at low risk of cardiovascular disease.”

The team said using statins for lowrisk groups “may be an example of lowvalue care and, in some cases, represents a waste of healthcare resources”.