USA's Consumer Reports questions use of statins by children and some women

A series of new reports from the USA-based Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs (BBD) caution that the benefits of statin use by children and some women may not outweigh the risks. Drugs to lower cholesterol - including statins - are the most commonly prescribed drugs in the USA, where they garnered more than $14 billion in sales last year.

The BBD reports also analyze the effectiveness of statin drugs to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart attack and death and to treat people who have cardiovascular disease. The report finds that a number of low-cost generic statins are as effective and safe as more expensive brand-name drugs in reducing these risks. The Consumer Reports BBD reports coincide with the introduction of Abbott/Kowa's Livalo (pitavastatin), the so-called seventh statin, in an already crowded class of drugs (The Pharma Letter June 23).

The reports, available for free at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org, note that there are no long-term studies of statin use in children that establish whether or not these medications reduce the number of heart attacks or other cardiovascular events in adulthood. There is also concern over the long-term potential risk for children and adolescents who use these medications for years or decades, particularly the effects on the developing central nervous system, organs, immune function and hormone levels. For women who only have high LDL, the bad cholesterol, and no heart disease, the risks of statins might outweigh the benefits. Risks include headache, joint and muscle pain and diarrhea. Other risks that are rarer include liver damage and rhabdomylosis, a breakdown of muscle tissue that can lead to coma and even death. There is also an association with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.