Statins, cholesterol-lowering drugs taken by 200 million people worldwide, are safer than previously believed, new research suggested.
A review of previous studies totalling 123,000 patients found that only four of 66 potential side effects listed on statins’ packaging were actually caused by the drugs, and the rest were equally likely among those people given placebos.
Previous data shows statins significantly reduce cardiovascular disease, and the risk-benefit ratio was already sufficiently positive that some experts recommend giving them to all over-50s, even those not at risk of heart disease. The latest research will boost those calls; like GLP-1s, the drugs’ benefits are so great and the risks so low that they are often a good bet even for healthy people.