Abandoning statins and other lipid-lowering agents in patients over 75 might be misguided with new evidence suggesting good efficacy and safety in reducing cardiovascular risk, researchers say.

Two papers in the Lancet suggest the medication still has a role to reduce a patient’s cumulative lifetime burden of LDL cholesterol, given that CVD risk continues to rise with age.

University of Sydney lipid specialist Associate Professor David Sullivan, who was not involved in either study, said doctors should feel less pressure to deprescribe statins, ezetimibe and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors in the elderly.

“Cholesterol-lowering is very likely to continue to provide cardiovascular protection beyond age 70 and for that reason should not be discontinued lightly,” he told Australian Doctor.