More than a million adults taking statins might not need them, study suggests – but experts urge caution

Published: 23:30 BST, 11 August 2026 | Updated: 23:41 BST, 11 August 2026

Millions of Britons over 75 who take statins may be able to stop the drugs without increasing their risk of death, researchers have suggested.

French scientists found that older adults who hadn't suffered a heart attack or stroke previously were not significantly more likely to suffer one within three years of quitting the pills.

Around eight million adults in the UK are prescribed the life-saving medication, around 1.5 million of whom are over 75.

Hailed as 'wonder drugs', they are given to patients at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) – a group of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels – when lifestyle changes have not worked.

Previous studies have hailed the medicine for preventing some 80,000 heart attacks and strokes every year in Britain.

Statins work by interfering with the liver's production of 'bad' cholesterol – the fatty substance that damages blood vessels and is a major cause of heart attack and stroke.

In the majority of cases – some 75 to 80 per cent – they are prescribed to prevent an initial cardiovascular attack, rather than stop a subsequent one from happening.  

In new study, a team led from Bordeaux University Hospital examined potential outcomes of quitting the pills in older, primary prevention patients with no history of heart disease or stroke.

Millions of Britons over 75 who take statins may be able to stop the drugs without increasing their risk of death, researchers have suggested 

Until now, this type of research has largely excluded patients aged over 70, the researchers noted. 

The study enrolled 1,160 adults, with an average age of 80, who were registered with general practices in France.

They were randomly assigned to two groups – some stopping statins, and those continuing to take them.

The type of medication tested in the study were the main types found in the UK: simvastatin, pravastatin, atorvastatin, rosuvastatin and fluvastatin.

After three years of follow-up, 7.2 per cent of participants who stopped taking statins died, compared to 7.9 per cent of those who continued to take them.

Source: Read the original article on www.dailymail.com