Statins plan means ‘unjustified’ medicalisation of millions

At the moment some seven million people in the UK with a 20 per cent risk of developing cardiovascular disease within 10 years, are offered the drugs.

But draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has called for the NHS to widen this to cover people with just a risk of 10 per cent.

The plan has prompted prominent clinicians to write a letter to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to express their concerns.

The signatories, who include the president of the Royal College of Physicians and a former chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, claim that the latest advice is based almost entirely on studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry.

The recent statin recommendations are deeply worrying, effectively condemning all middle-aged adults to lifelong medications of questionable value Prof Simon Capewell, University of Liverpool

The group refers to findings from non-industry sponsored studies, which reveal among other things an increased risk of developing diabetes in middle-aged women taking statins. The doctors, who claim that the “medicalisation of millions of healthy individuals” is unjustified, warn that the drugs cause other side effects, including fatigue, erectile dysfunction, and even psychiatric symptoms.

Professor Simon Capewell, professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, said: “The recent statin recommendations are deeply worrying, effectively condemning all middle-aged adults to lifelong medications of questionable value.”

London Cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra agrees. “Although there is good evidence that the benefits of statins outweigh the potential harms in those with established heart disease, this is clearly not the case for healthy people,” he said. “For example, a doctor wouldn’t give chemotherapy to a patient who didn’t have cancer or prescribe insulin to someone without diabetes.

“When you add up doctors’ appointments, unnecessary suffering for those who experience side effects that interfere with the quality of life, the illusion of protection of taking a drug that won’t reduce the risk of death in healthy people – and the increasing burden of chronic disease which is predominantly lifestyle-related – prescribing statins to millions of healthy people would increase costs to the NHS, not reduce it.”

But Professor Mark Baker, director of the centre for clinical practice at Nice, insisted that the draft guidance does not suggest that statins should be used instead of those at risk of cardiovascular disease making lifestyle changes.

“Cardiovascular disease maims and kills people through coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease and stroke,” he said. “Together, these kill one in three of us. Our proposals are intended to prevent many lives being destroyed.

“We have consulted on these proposals and the results of this consultation are currently being reviewed prior to publication of our final recommendations next month. Our proposals are also being independently peer reviewed to ensure they are reliable and evidence-based.”