Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Suboptimal use of statins at treatment initiation

  • Letter to the Editors
  • Published:
European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Brugts JJ, Yetgin T, Hoeks SE et al (2009) The benefits of statins in people without established cardiovascular disease but with cardiovascular risk factors: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Br Med J 338:b2376

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Heart Protection Study Collaborative Group (2002) MRC/BHF Heart Protection Study of cholesterol lowering with simvastatin in 20 536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 360:7–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ Collaboration (2010) Efficacy and safety of more intensive lowering of LDL cholesterol: a meta-analysis of data from 170 000 participants in 26 randomised trials. Lancet 376:1670–1681

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Walley T, Foliono-Gallo P, Stephens P, van Ganse E (2005) Trends in prescribing and utilization of statins and other lipid lowering drugs across Europe 1997–2003. Br J Clin Pharmacol 60:543–551

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ruokoniemi P, Helin-Salmivaara A, Klaukka T et al (2008) Shift of statin use towards the elderly in 1995–2005: a nation-wide register study in Finland. Br J Clin Pharmacol 66:405–410

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Mantel-Teeuwisse AK, Kungel O, Schalekamp T et al (2005) Suboptimal choices and dosing of statins at start of therapy. Br J Clin Pharmacol 60:83–89

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Gislason GH, Rasmussen JN, Steen ZA et al (2007) Long-term compliance with beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and statins after acute myocardial infarction. Eur Heart J 27:1153–1158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Geleedst-De Vooght M, Maitland-van der Zee AH, Schalekamp T et al (2010) Statin prescribing in the elderly in the Netherlands. A pharmacy database time trend study. Drugs Aging 27:589–596

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Martikainen JE, Saastamoinen LK, Korhonen MJ et al (2010) Impact of restricted reimbursement on the use of statins in Finland. A register-based study. Med Care 48:761–766

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Furu K, Wettermark B, Andersen M et al (2009) The Nordic countries as a cohort for pharmacoepidemiological research. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 106:86–94

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Law MR, Wald NJ, Rudnicka AR (2003) Quantifying effect of statins on low density lipoprotein cholesterol, ischaemic heart disease, and stroke: systematic review and meta-analysis. Br Med J 326(7404):1423–1427

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. SLD Pharma (2010) Finnish Pharmaceutical Data Ltd. Statistics 01/2010–11/2010. Finnish Pharmaceutical Data Ltd, Helsinki

  13. Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study Group (1994) Randomised trial of cholesterol lowering in 4444 patients with coronary heart disease: the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study (4S). Lancet 344:1383–1389

    Google Scholar 

  14. Working group set up by the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim and the Finnish Society of Internal Medicine (2009) Dyslipidaemias. Current Care guideline. Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, Helsinki. Available at: www.kaypahoito.fi. Accessed 1 Mar 2010

  15. Smulders YM, Burgers JS, Scheltens T et al (2008) Clinical practice guideline for cardiovascular risk management in the Netherlands. Neth J Med 66(4):169–174

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Kiviniemi V, Peura P, Helin-Salmivaara A et al (2011) Statiinihoito aloitetaan simvastatiinilla pienin annoksin (in Finnish). Suom Lääkäril 66:568–571

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant (October 26, 2007) from the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Maarit Jaana Korhonen and Arja Helin-Salmivaara).

Conflict of interest

Piia Peura has participated in a research project on the cost-effectiveness of statins funded by Astra Zeneca and received a fee for consulting from ESiOR Oy. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Finnish Medicines Agency, Microkatu 1, Kuopio, Finland

    Vesa Kiviniemi & Piia Peura

  2. Department of Pharmacology, Drug Development and Therapeutics, University of Turku, 20014, Turun yliopisto, Finland

    Arja Helin-Salmivaara, Risto Huupponen & Maarit Jaana Korhonen

  3. Unit of General Practice, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, Helsinki, Finland

    Arja Helin-Salmivaara

  4. Research Department, Social Insurance Institution, Helsinki, Finland

    Jaana E. Martikainen

  5. School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland

    Juha Hartikainen

  6. Heart Center, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland

    Juha Hartikainen

  7. Unit of Clinical Pharmacology, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

    Risto Huupponen

Authors
  1. Vesa Kiviniemi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Piia Peura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Arja Helin-Salmivaara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jaana E. Martikainen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Juha Hartikainen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Risto Huupponen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Maarit Jaana Korhonen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maarit Jaana Korhonen.

Additional information

The results of this study have been previously published in Finnish in the Finnish Medical Journal [16].

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kiviniemi, V., Peura, P., Helin-Salmivaara, A. et al. Suboptimal use of statins at treatment initiation. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 67, 971–973 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-011-1037-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-011-1037-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation