Taking Lipitor, the brand name for atorvastatin calcium, which is manufactured by Pfizer, also reduced the risk of coronary events, such as heart attacks, by 35 per cent in the trial by the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago.

Doctors involved in the trial said that the findings were likely to change the way patients were treated after a stroke. Up to 40 per cent of people who have a stroke will have a second within five years. Often, the second is worse, resulting in death or disablement.

The trial involved 4,731 patients. None had any history of heart disease. Their average age was 63.

Strokes afflict more than 130,000 people in England and Wales each year, resulting in more than 67,000 deaths. In Britain more than 300,000 stroke victims live with moderate to severe disabilities.

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