Benefits of statins may be underestimated, according to new study

A new study has indicated that risk-benefit profile of statins may be much more positive than is widely assumed.

Conducted by the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the research indicates that more people could likely benefit from the use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs.

According to their calculations, lowering cholesterol with an effective low-cost statin therapy for five years in 10,000 patients would prevent major cardiovascular events in 1,000 people with pre-existing vascular disease and in 500 people who are at increased risk but have not yet had a vascular event.

This would greatly outweigh the number of people expected to experience some form of adverse event, with the researchers also noting that many of the side effects of statins could be reversed simply by discontinuing the treatment.

Professor Liam Smeeth, co-author from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "The best available scientific evidence tells us that statins are effective, safe drugs that have a crucial role in helping prevent cardiovascular disease."

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