Statins
Posted: 15 May 2014, 17:03http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27420100
Two articles claiming cholesterol-reducing statins may be unsafe are to be investigated and could be retracted by the British Medical Journal.
The authors have withdrawn figures suggesting up to 20% of users would suffer harmful side effects such as liver disease and kidney problems.
About 7m people in the UK at risk of heart disease are prescribed statins.
Experts fear the articles, which were widely reported in October, will have discouraged people from taking them.
British Medical Journal (BMJ) editor-in-chief Dr Fiona Godlee said it was publicising the withdrawal of the side-effects figures "so that patients who could benefit from statins are not wrongly deterred from starting or continuing treatment because of exaggerated concerns over side effects".
Two articles claiming cholesterol-reducing statins may be unsafe are to be investigated and could be retracted by the British Medical Journal.
The authors have withdrawn figures suggesting up to 20% of users would suffer harmful side effects such as liver disease and kidney problems.
About 7m people in the UK at risk of heart disease are prescribed statins.
Experts fear the articles, which were widely reported in October, will have discouraged people from taking them.
British Medical Journal (BMJ) editor-in-chief Dr Fiona Godlee said it was publicising the withdrawal of the side-effects figures "so that patients who could benefit from statins are not wrongly deterred from starting or continuing treatment because of exaggerated concerns over side effects".