Statin drugs save health care systems money as well as saving lives, UK study shows

Statins not only help save lives but are great value for money too, even in lower risk patients, according to a new UK study. The cholesterol-lowering drugs are widely prescribed to people who have had heart attacks or strokes. They can also help prevent these events happening in people who have not previously developed cardiovascular disease. The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) estimates that statins save 7,000 lives in the UK annually.

Some critics have urged caution in the use of statins in people who are otherwise healthy and have questioned whether it is worth the expense. However, the latest study from the Robertson Centre for Biostatistics at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, shows clear health and financial advantages.

Alex McConnachie, lead author, said: "Treating relatively healthy, middle-aged men with statins reduced the number of hospital admissions due to heart disease and stroke, leading to better quality of life for the men in the study, and saving money for the NHS. Treatment of even younger people at lower risk of future heart disease is likely to be cost-effective too."