GP prescribing of statins reduced after over-the-counter availability
Geoff Kidd/Science Photo Library
Statin availability over the counter coincided with a fall in prescriptions |
Statin prescribing by GPs has fallen in the UK since simvastatin 10mg became available over the counter, a recent study published online reveals.
Investigators examined all statin prescriptions in the General Practice
Research Database from the first quarter of 2001 to the second quarter
of 2005, and found that during the four quarters after the introduction
of OTC simvastatin in 2004 there was a decrease of 281 prescriptions
per 100,000 people per quarter (P<0.0001). The decrease was not restricted
to prescriptions for 10mg of statin — it was also seen for all
statin prescriptions for 20mg or over. The authors say that the data
suggest a significant impact of OTC statin availability on GPs’ prescribing
of the agents, and that the policy could be leading to less aggressive
statin therapy.
However, for reasons unknown to the authors, a similar trend of falling
prescriptions was also observed for several other cardiovascular medicines — a
trend not seen for non-cardiovascular drugs. They therefore concede that
the reduction in statin prescriptions could be influenced by the same,
unknown factors that are driving the decrease in overall prescribing
of cardiovascular drugs (Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety,
5
September 2006). |
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