Authors say generally, discontinuation is safe for most older adults without previous cardiovascular disease event, but decisions should be individualized
FRIDAY, Nov. 13, 2026 (HealthDay News) — It is generally safe for older adults without a history of cardiovascular disease to discontinue statins for primary prevention, according to a study published online Nov. 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2026, held from Nov. 6 to 9 in Chicago.
Nicolas Rodondi, M.D., from the University of Bern in Switzerland, and colleagues assessed whether discontinuing statin therapy in older adults with at least two chronic conditions, but no known cardiovascular disease, affects the time to a first cardiovascular event. The analysis included 1,880 participants aged 70 years and older randomly assigned to either discontinue or continue statin therapy and other lipid-lowering therapies.
The researchers found the between-group difference in the restricted mean event-free survival time at two years was −2.0 weeks (P < 0.001 for noninferiority). During a median follow-up of 103 weeks, 12.7 percent in the discontinuation group and 9.2 percent in the continuation group experienced either a nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal ischemic stroke, or death from any cause. In the discontinuation group, 43.0 percent of the participants experienced at least one serious adverse event versus 39.8 percent in the continuation group.
“This small, increased risk of cardiovascular events means that one cannot make a general recommendation about stopping statins in this patient population,” coauthor Rita F. Redberg, M.D., from the University of California, San Francisco, said in a statement. “There should be shared decision-making between the patient and the health care professional to know if it is appropriate for an individual to discontinue the medication. In general, however, discontinuation is safe for most people who are in this age group and without a previous cardiovascular disease event.”
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