The authors state their review is intended to help clinicians, patients, and the public make informed decisions about statin therapy for the prevention of heart attacks and strokes.
The Director of MHRA’s Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Division said: “The benefits of statins are well established and are considered to outweigh the risk of side-effects in the majority of patients. The efficacy and safety of statins has been studied in a number of large trials which show they can lower the level of cholesterol in the blood and reduce cardiovascular disease and can save lives. Trials have also shown that medically significant side effects are rare. Medicine safety and effectiveness is of paramount importance and under constant review. Our priority is to ensure that the benefits of medication outweigh the risks. Any new significant information on the efficacy or safety of statins will be carefully reviewed and action will be taken if required.”