Health Division clarifies entitlement to statins

In the wake of "a rush of requests" from persons over 75 for the prescription of lipid lowering drugs, the Health Division yesterday reminded the public that the prescribing protocol for the entitlement of statins (medicines that help to reduce cholesterol) has been amended to include patients who are over 75 years of age and who have a blood result showing that their LDL level is greater than or equal to 4.1mmol/L.

This means that only these new patients, as well as patients already taking statin therapy, will now be entitled to free treatment beyond 75 years of age.

Furthermore, patients of any age with documented ischaemic heart disease following an acute myocardial infarction or percutaneous coronary interventions or a coronary artery bypass can ask to be started on statin treatment irrespective of their LDL cholesterol levels.

All those persons who are over 75 and who do not have any heart disease or who have tried their blood cholesterol levels and did not find these to be high, will not be prescribed any statins under the new prescribing protocol.