Millions more to get daily statins

MILLIONS more patients will be offered statins to cut heart attacks and strokes under new NHS guidelines.

Doctors used to prescribe the drugs only to those who had a 30 per cent or greater risk of suffering a heart attack within a decade.

This was lowered to a 20 per cent risk in 2005, but now medics could be handing pills to those with only a 10 per cent risk.

The new rules would make at least 10million patients eligible for anticholesterol drugs, securing Britain’s place as the statins capital of Europe.

But some doctors are concerned, claiming the plan will unnecessarily ‘medicalise’ many healthy people, exposing thousands to harmful side effects while making only a minimal difference to the number of heart attacks and strokes.

As many as seven million people in the UK are on statins, at an estimated annual cost of £450million.

Draft proposals from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) would see the drugs offered to anyone with a 10 per cent or greater ten-year risk. Even patients aged 80 and over are likely to get them, despite little evidence they will benefit.

Guidelines are being re-written partly because of the low price of statins, which cost a few pence a day. Low- dose statins cost around £1 a month per patient.

Nice says the draft guidance will make clear doctors should first work with patients to cut lifestyle factors putting them at risk, such as stopping smoking, drinking less, taking exercise and eating a healthy diet.

High-intensity statin therapy, with a drug such as atorvastatin, should be offered to patients once these factors have been addressed, the Nice report says.

But an analysis by the British Medical Journal suggested 140 patients would have to take them to prevent one heart attack or stroke.

Although Nice guidelines are not mandatory in Scotland, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network is expected to review guidelines north of the Border ahead of a decision which is expected next year.