Understanding the implications of over the counter statin sales.

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the UK's biggest killer. While recommending that all patients can benefit from lifestyle interventions, the current guidelines focus pharmacological management on those at high risk. An over the counter (OTC) statin would enable people with moderate (10-15 per cent) CHD risk to take preventive action. Pharmacists would be able to recommend OTC simvastatin to those at moderate risk by following a simple pharmacy protocol to assess a person's risk. A regime of 10 mg simvastatin daily would have a significant impact on both the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level and the CHD risk of those at moderate risk. Cholesterol testing would not be mandatory but would be available in pharmacy to enable people to monitor their progress.