Christina Reith

Stories

Statins and the evidence gap

Published landmark meta-analysis February 2026

More than 200 million people worldwide take statins for heart health. For decades, package inserts have warned about 66 potential side effects, from memory loss to depression to muscle pain. The February 2026 Lancet analysis of 23 major clinical trials with nearly 155,000 participants found 62 of those warnings unsupported by evidence, with symptoms appearing equally in statin and placebo groups.

Updated May 29

Notable Quotes

"Statins are life-saving drugs used by hundreds of millions of people over the past 30 years. However, concerns about the safety of statins have deterred many people who are at risk of severe disability or death from a heart attack or stroke. Our study provides reassurance that, for most people, the risk of side effects is greatly outweighed by the benefits of statins." — Statement on study publication, February 2026

from Statins and the evidence gap · Updated May 29