§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the(a) actual and (b) target figure for the percentage of people with a history of coronary heart disease prescribed statins in 2000. [142942]
§ Yvette CooperThe National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) sets the standard that all people with established cardiovascular disease or a past history of CHD should be identified and offered comprehensive advice and appropriate treatment to reduce their risks. Effective interventions include the prescription of statins and dietary advice to reduce the level of cholesterol.
At present the exact percentage of people with a history of CHD who are currently receiving statins is not known. However, the percentage of people in the priority groups for lipid-lowering drugs—those who have had a heart attack and those with angina—is estimated at 4.8 per cent. of the population aged 35 to 69. The NSF sets a milestone of April 2003 for primary care teams to keep clinical audit data which will enable them to provide data on the number and proportion of their patients with recognised CHD, or at high risk of developing it, and the advice offered about appropriate interventions to reduce risk. This will include data on these patients' cholesterol levels and the advice and treatment offered to them.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the availability of the statin class of drugs on the National Health Service to those with a high cholesterol rate but no history of coronary heart disease. [142940]
§ Yvette CooperThe National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) sets out the approach to be taken for people at high risk of CHD—those with symptoms of heart disease or other arterial disease, or who exhibit multiple risk factors. Identifying and treating 303W people at greatest risk is one of the highest priorities of the National Service Framework. Chapter Two includes advice on the prescription of statins to eligible patients, and sets a practical threshold of risk that will target resources at those in greatest need.
Our first priority is to treat those with established cardiovascular disease. The next step, and a high priority for the NSF, is the treatment of those without diagnosed CHD or other cardiovascular disease but whose risk of a cardiac event—their CHD risk—is greater than 30 per cent. over 10 years. This is consistent with the guidance already issued to the NHS by the Standing Medical Advisory Committee and with the Joint British Society guidelines published in the British Medical Journal.