Menu
11/06/2014
Leading Doctors Recommend Not Extending Statin Use
Leading doctors have said the government should not extend the use of the statin drug on the NHS warning of potential side effects in a letter to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and Ministers.
Nice had published guidance in February calling for their use to be extended to save more lives, however, experts have used the letter to raise their concerns over the medicalisation of healthy people, saying that the draft advice was overly reliant on industry-sponsored trials, which "grossly underestimate adverse effects."
Statin drugs reduce levels of cholesterol in the blood, lowering the risk of a heart attack or stroke and are currently offered to nearly seven million people who have one-in-five chance of developing heart disease within 10 years.
The NHS was urged in the February guidance to offer them to people with just a 10% risk, with advisers claiming a lack of "credible argument against their safety".
In the letter experts warn that people who take statins are at risk of fatigue and psychiatric problems, while men may suffer erectile dysfunction and middle-age women could be more susceptible to diabetes.
One of the signatories, Professor Simon Capewell, an expert in clinical epidemiology at Liverpool University, said: "These recommendations are deeply worrying, effectively condemning all middle-aged adults to lifelong medications of questionable value."
Cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra also said that although the good evidence of the statin's benefits "outweigh the potential harms in those with established heart disease, this is clearly not the case for healthy people" and compare it to other treatments: "A doctor wouldn't give chemotherapy to a patient who didn't have cancer or prescribe insulin to someone without diabetes."
(CVS/MH)
Nice had published guidance in February calling for their use to be extended to save more lives, however, experts have used the letter to raise their concerns over the medicalisation of healthy people, saying that the draft advice was overly reliant on industry-sponsored trials, which "grossly underestimate adverse effects."
Statin drugs reduce levels of cholesterol in the blood, lowering the risk of a heart attack or stroke and are currently offered to nearly seven million people who have one-in-five chance of developing heart disease within 10 years.
The NHS was urged in the February guidance to offer them to people with just a 10% risk, with advisers claiming a lack of "credible argument against their safety".
In the letter experts warn that people who take statins are at risk of fatigue and psychiatric problems, while men may suffer erectile dysfunction and middle-age women could be more susceptible to diabetes.
One of the signatories, Professor Simon Capewell, an expert in clinical epidemiology at Liverpool University, said: "These recommendations are deeply worrying, effectively condemning all middle-aged adults to lifelong medications of questionable value."
Cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra also said that although the good evidence of the statin's benefits "outweigh the potential harms in those with established heart disease, this is clearly not the case for healthy people" and compare it to other treatments: "A doctor wouldn't give chemotherapy to a patient who didn't have cancer or prescribe insulin to someone without diabetes."
(CVS/MH)
Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
25 January 2006
More drugs to help reduce heart disease risk
Revised guidelines for the prescription of cholesterol-busting drugs mean that over three million people at risk from cardiovascular disease (CVD) will now be able to receive them.
More drugs to help reduce heart disease risk
Revised guidelines for the prescription of cholesterol-busting drugs mean that over three million people at risk from cardiovascular disease (CVD) will now be able to receive them.
01 July 2009
Statins Good For Healthy People At Risk Of Heart Disease
Widely prescribed statins should be given to people without established cardiovascular disease but with risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, concludes a study published on bmj.com today. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the Western world.
Statins Good For Healthy People At Risk Of Heart Disease
Widely prescribed statins should be given to people without established cardiovascular disease but with risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes, concludes a study published on bmj.com today. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the Western world.
12 May 2004
Cholesterol drug to be sold over-the-counter
A drug that can reduce the risk of heart attacks is to become available without a prescription for the first time, Health Secretary John Reid announced today. The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) has advised the government that the cholesterol-lowering statin, simvastatin, should be available without prescription in a 10mg dose.
Cholesterol drug to be sold over-the-counter
A drug that can reduce the risk of heart attacks is to become available without a prescription for the first time, Health Secretary John Reid announced today. The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) has advised the government that the cholesterol-lowering statin, simvastatin, should be available without prescription in a 10mg dose.
08 April 2011
Drivers Risk Lives In Border Bomb Alert
Motorists are dicing with death on the Irish border today in Northern Ireland, despite what is expected to be a "long and complex operation" as Army bomb experts examine a suspicious van abandoned on the A1 carriage in Co Down.
Drivers Risk Lives In Border Bomb Alert
Motorists are dicing with death on the Irish border today in Northern Ireland, despite what is expected to be a "long and complex operation" as Army bomb experts examine a suspicious van abandoned on the A1 carriage in Co Down.
29 May 2009
Widespread Use Of Aspirin Slammed
A new study in The Lancet medical journal has found that healthy people who take aspirin reduced their already small risk of heart attack or stroke by just 12%. However, the small risk of internal bleeding increased by a third.
Widespread Use Of Aspirin Slammed
A new study in The Lancet medical journal has found that healthy people who take aspirin reduced their already small risk of heart attack or stroke by just 12%. However, the small risk of internal bleeding increased by a third.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherToday:It will be cloudy again throughout the day. Mainly dry in the morning, but patchy drizzle in places, becoming more widespread and persistent in the afternoon. Freshening southwesterly winds. Maximum temperature 12 °C.Tonight:Cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
