Patients who abandon statins after an adverse drug reaction are at increased risk of a subsequent CVD event, suggesting a need for more intensive management in general practice, researchers say.

They found lives could be saved if lipid-lowering medication was continued, such as through the use of an intermittent statin regimen.

The retrospective study of more than one million statin users in the UK found that 1.2% (19,000) had a statin-related adverse drug reaction (ADR) consultation in primary care.

When comparing patients with an adverse drug reaction consult with statin users without such a consult, the researchers found those taking it for primary prevention were 39% more likely to experience a CVD event after a median follow-up of six years.