Pharmacy Daily | Statin safety

THE UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) responded to criticism of its draft guidance on statins (PD 14 Feb) from a group of doctors who believed the data supporting the decision was too greatly influenced by drug company-sponsored trials. NICE proposed that the threshold for offering statins to people to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD) be halved from 20% risk of developing CVD in 10 years to 10%. NICE Centre for Clinical Practice director Professor Mark Baker said the draft guideline did not propose that statins should be used instead of lifestyle adjustments that people at risk of CVD needed to make. “The independent committee of experts found that if a patient and their doctor measure the risk and decide statins are the right choice, the evidence clearly shows there is no credible argument against their safety and clinical effectiveness for use in people with a 10% risk over 10 years.” Baker said all NICE guidance was developed by independent expert committees and that other countries had reached similar conclusions. To read the response, CLICK HERE.

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