NHMRC announces grant for statins therapy trial

Funding grants have just been announced, and Sophia Zoungas and the team in charge of the STAtins for Reducing Events in the Elderly (STAREE) trial are on the winners list. The trial will be the first randomised controlled trial of statin therapy in an apparently healthy elderly cohort living independently in the community and will be administered through the SPHPM. Earlier trials have shown the cardiovascular benefits to younger people with established CVD or at high risk of CVD no studies thus far have focused on the elderly.
 

Amongst the issues likely to influence the balance of the risks and benefits to the elderly are: myopathy, diabetes, cognitive impairment, cancer and polypharmacy. STAREE will determine the effects of statin therapy versus placebo on overall survival (all-causes of death) or disability-free survival (need for permanent residential care) over an average 5-year treatment period amongst elderly Australians equal to or older than 75. The study will be conducted in Australian general practice and utilise the resources and expertise in community-based research generated by the ASPREE study. Given the demographic transition to an older population and the increasing health care costs incurred by governments and individuals, this study could possibly influence health expenditure and change the way that preventative drugs are evaluated in this age group.