March 17, 2015

expert reaction to opinion piece on the use of rosuvastatin

A feature in The BMJ has argued that one particular type of statin should be withdrawn from use in the US, citing concerns around the evidence for health benefits and side effects.

Prof. Peter Weissberg, Medical Director, British Heart Foundation, said:

“This opinion piece raises more questions about pharmaceutical marketing and prescribing practices in the USA, than the safety and use of statins in general.

“Rosuvastatin is much more expensive than other statins and is one of the least commonly prescribed statins in the UK.

“It is generally prescribed for a small number of people at high risk of a heart attack or stroke and who either cannot tolerate the older statins or have not had the desired reduction in cholesterol levels on them.

“Patients who are taking rosuvastatin should not stop taking it. They are on it for a very good reason.”

‘Rosuvastatin: winner in the statin wars, patients’ health notwithstanding’ by Wolfe published in The BMJ on Tuesday 17th March. 

All our previous output on this subject can be seen at this weblink: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/?s=statins&cat 

Declared interests

None declared