A world-first clinical trial conducted by Monash University researchers has shown that cholesterol-lowering medication can reduce heart attack and stroke in people aged over 70 years.
Statins are commonly prescribed to manage high cholesterol in people up to 75 years, and are known to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. But until now it was unclear whether they were effective in older people.
New research from Monash University, published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented concurrently at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2026, found the medication decreases the risk of a first major cardiovascular event by 30 per cent for adults aged over 70 living independently.
The Statins in Reducing Events in the Elderly (STAREE) Trial is the first randomised controlled trial of statin therapy to examine whether the drugs could help in older people who have historically been overlooked in clinical trials.
This landmark, ten-year trial analysed the cardiovascular outcomes of almost 10 000 participants while they took either a statin or placebo.
Lead researcher Adjunct Professor Sophia Zoungas, from the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said the findings will change the way clinicians manage cardiovascular risk in older people.
“What we hope to see, now that we have provided such strong evidence, are updated treatment guidelines to help clinicians make use of this new finding,” Professor Zoungas said.
The global prevalence of cardiovascular disease is expected to almost double from 600 million in 2025 to more than one billion affected adults in 2050. An estimated 2 ,000 older Australians suffer from major cardiovascular events, like heart attack and stroke, each year. The risk increases with age, so people aged over 70 are automatically in a high risk category regardless of lifestyle or other factors.
“The risk of heart attack and stroke is a major concern for older people,” Professor Zoungas said. “Knowing there is a safe and effective measure for lowering that risk will be a huge reassurance to older people and their families.
“Anyone who has seen a loved one impacted by cardiovascular disease will know just how important prevention is.”
Co-author Professor Mark Nelson, a prominent general practitioner, Adjunct Professor at the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine and Research Fellow at Menzies Institute for Medical Research at the University of Tasmania, said this is critical evidence to support GPs in their decision-making around cardiovascular health in older people.
“This was a particularly important trial because it was conducted in the community, with more than 3400 GPs taking part across Australia,” Professor Nelson said. “In light of this new evidence, older patients should have a conversation with their GP about whether statins are an appropriate treatment for their cardiovascular health to help them remain fit and healthy.”
Read the research paper: http://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2607314
Source: Monash University
