Closer monitoring of statins needed, say UA medics

One in five patients treated with statin drugs to lower their cholesterol levels had minimal or no response to the treatment, according to University of Adelaide research.

The study, led by UA cardiology professor Steve Nicholls (above), suggests there is a need for doctors to closely monitor statin treatment rather than adopting a “prescribe and forget” approach.

Scientists analysed data from seven clinical studies on 647 patients with diagnosed coronary artery disease who were prescribed statin drugs to help lower cholesterol.