Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that statins are introduced and prescribed to people aged over 75 years old to prevent heart-attacks and strokes.
There are no age restrictions for use of statins for either primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as heart disease and stroke in United Kingdom guidance.
Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance recommends statins for those of 85 years or older for primary prevention of CVD. This age is highlighted because a CVD assessment can only calculate specific CVD risk up to the age of 84 years old and the guidance seeks to ensure patients of 85 years or older are not excluded from statin treatment.