BMJ  2006;333:704 (30 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7570.704

Letter

Are eligibility criteria for over the counter statins appropriate?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Low dose statins are now available for purchase over the counter by people at moderate risk of coronary heart disease (10 year risk of coronary heart disease 10-15%). Eligible people are identified using an assessment of age, sex, and number of risk factors for coronary heart disease as described in guidelines from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.1 The guidelines also recommend that blood pressure and cholesterol should be checked to identify people at high risk who should see their general practitioner, but these tests are not always available in pharmacies.1 People at high risk (10 year risk of coronary heart disease 3 15%, identified using Framingham equations) are eligible for a prescribed statin, usually at higher dose than over the counter statins.2

We investigated how the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's criteria for over the counter statins compare with Framingham estimates of risk of coronary heart disease, using data . . . [Full text of this article]

D Graham Mackenzie, specialist registrar in public health

Public Health Department, NHS Fife, Cameron House, Leven, Fife KY8 5RG gm@nhs.net

Sarah H Wild, senior lecturer in public health and epidemiology

Public Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG

Philip Rutledge, consultant in medicines management

Lothian NHS Board, Edinburgh EH8 9RS


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Are eligibility criteria for over the counter statins appropriate?: Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain responds
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