Australian and British experts analysed the results of 14 previous trials involving a total of 90,000 people, and found that over nearly five years the number of deaths among the nearly 19,000 diabetes patients fell by 9per cent for every one-unit drop in their level of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol.

The drop was almost the same seen in the 71,000 non-diabetic patients, and applied equally to men and women, and both main types of diabetes. Each major cut in LDL cholesterol cut the numbers of heart attacks, strokes and blocked arteries by 21 per cent in diabetic and non-diabetic groups.

Any increase in statin use may place more pressure on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. One statin drug alone, Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin), was the biggest drain on the PBS in 2005-06, costing the scheme nearly $490 million for 8.5million prescriptions.

The study's authors -- from the National Health and Medical Research Council's Clinical Trial Centre at the University of Sydney and the Epidemiological Studies Unit in Oxford -- said "most people with diabetes should now be considered for statin therapy", with the exception of children and pregnant women. The study was published yesterday in The Lancet.

Jonathan Shaw, deputy director of the Melbourne-based International Diabetes Institute, said the PBS eligibility criteria for statins should be widened.

Currently, diabetes patients only qualify for subsidised statin drugs if they are over 60, or if their blood cholesterol exceeds 5.5 millimoles per litre of blood.

David Sullivan, head of the lipid clinic at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, said the existing PBS rules were a reasonable attempt to balance the benefits of treatment with the costs. However, he said: "I have some sympathy for broadening the criteria."

(The article from:theaustralian.news.com)

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

Add Comment