SMOKERS, the overweight, elderly people and others at high risk of heart attacks and strokes are to be offered a cholesterol-busting “wonder drug” free on the NHS.

Almost six million people in England and Wales — nearly 15 per cent of all adults — are from today eligible for treatment with statins under groundbreaking NHS guidelines.

A report by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which advises on best treatments, will recommend that anyone at risk of cardiovascular disease should be prescribed the drug.

About 1.8 million adults in England and Wales currently take statins, which are thought to save 7,000 lives a year. Doctors believe that the new ruling will double uptake to 3.4 million people, saving another 10,000 lives a year.

The treatment, taken in the form of daily tablets, is prescribed to control high levels of blood cholesterol and is sometimes given after a heart attack or a stroke to cut the risk of another one.

NICE says that statins — which can prevent atherosclerosis, the furring-up and narrowing of arteries — should be used to prevent a first life-threatening or disabling attack, as well as increasingly for secondary prevention. Its analysis indicates that deaths can be cut by 21 per cent.

The institute said yesterday that making statins more widely available would cost between £55 million and £82 million a year, putting further strain on primary care trusts struggling to control their drugs budgets. However, a NICE spokesman added that, when savings on treatment of future heart problems were taken into account, the final cost would be below £9 million.

The decision is another move which aims to prevent health problems rather than simply react to them. It will affect many elderly adults, the overweight and obese, diabetics and people with a family history of heart disease and high cholesterol.

Heart disease and strokes are the single biggest killer, with cardiovascular disease (CVD) killing 238,000 people in 2002. Nearly a third of the deaths were classed as premature among men and women under 75. A study published today in The Lancet suggests that statins may also help to prevent sepsis, a condition that can cause multiple organ failure.

David Barnett, chairman of the independent appraisal committee that developed the guidance, told The Times last night that it was estimated that 50 per cent of newly eligible adults would take statins, with more taking it in coming years.

THE LIFESAVER

Statins may also reduce risks of breast, colon and prostate cancer and ease symptoms of arthritis

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Times Christmas appeal: Letter from the Editor
• Conferences — what a waste of money
• Schools supremo learns a painful lesson