The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 278 No 7439 p188
17 February 2007

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• Community pharmacy (3)
• Pfizer proposals
• COPD
• Statins
• Complementary medicine
• NHS
• Physician-assisted suicide (3)
• Prescribing
• Northern Ireland
• Medicines recycling
• Retention fees
• Reciprocity

Letters to the Editor

Statins

There is evidence that switching statins has consequences

From Mr J. L. Woodward, MRPharmS

In a previous letter (PJ, 23/30 December 2006, p767), I stated that Brian Curwain was only interested in saving millions of pounds for the taxpayer, patients’ quality of life being secondary. This referred to him not only advocating the changeover of patients from atorvastatin to simvastatin, but also asking community pharmacists to support him in his quest. I also posed the question as to whether or not there was sufficient evidence to show that the lifespan of patients undertaking such a change in medication would not be decreased or affected in any way.

May I refer him to the correspondence in The Lancet of 6 January, where Rob Butler and James Wainwright, from the department of cardiology, University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Keele University, categorically state that such a procedure is purely for fiscal reasons and increases the morbidity and mortality of patients with cardiovascular disease. Despite clinical objections, the local primary care trust and the national health care trusts imposed this changeover on the physicians.

Intervention of this nature is completely unjustified with it being against the wishes and recommendations of the consultant cardiologists. Has the North Staffordshire PCT advised other PCTs of this important finding — cardiac readmissions nearly doubled and deaths increased by more than three-fold? Personally, I do not find the reply from Dr Curwain greatly convincing and pose the question as to whether or not such decisions should lie in the hands of the PCTs. That role surely should be left in the hands of health care professionals.

John L. Woodward
Stafford

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