Weekly Journal Scan: An individual participant data meta-analysis of large randomized trials shows that any adverse events associated with statins are greatly outweighed by their cardiovascular benefits

Comment on the article ‘Assessment of adverse effects attributed to statin therapy in product labels: a meta-analysis of double-blind randomized controlled trials’ published in The Lancet. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)02013-6 Extensive and consistent evidence accumulated over the past three decades has demonstrated that statin therapy substantially reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality across a wide spectrum of primary and secondary prevention settings.2,3 Despite this substantial benefit, concerns regarding adverse effects remain one of the principal barriers to optimal statin utilization worldwide. The established adverse effects of statins are relatively limited. They primarily include muscle-related symptoms, ranging from asymptomatic creatine kinase elevation to rare cases of rhabdomyolysis, together with a modest, dose-dependent increase in new-onset diabetes.4 Importantly, these risks are consistently outweighed by the cardiovascular benefits achieved through LDL-cholesterol reduction.2,3 Nevertheless, unwillingness to initiate treatment, discontinuation, and poor adherence to statin therapy remain common in clinical practice.