Nearly half of pensioners prescribed statins give them up within a year, a study suggests.
Researchers warned that known side effects – which include a risk of diabetes, erectile dysfunction, sleep problems and muscle pain – are putting off 45 per cent of over-65s within 12 months, with the over-85s even less likely to keep taking their pills.
Statins are taken once a day by six million Britons to reduce cholesterol and ward off heart disease.