Statins are in the news – again. A few weeks ago, reports appeared across the media suggesting that statins truly were the wonder-drug of our time – and that the alleged adverse side-effects associated with their consumption had been greatly exaggerated. This backed up the latest research from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which proposed that statin prescriptions be extended to around five million more Britons.
Against this tide of pro-statin coverage, the first issue of Spectator Health came out, and on the cover we put Dr James Le Fanu’s sceptical take on the marvels of statin use. He pointed to concerns over the role that the pharmaceutical industry plays in statin trials and suggested we may not be seeing an entirely true picture of how the drug works.
‘The promotion of ‘statins all round’ — given these modest benefits — could really be justified only if indeed they have “virtually no side effects,”‘ wrote James.
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