Statin side effects 'taken into account', says NICE

The increased risk of developing diabetes has been taken "into full account" in proposals suggesting that the use of statin drugs should be extended, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has said.

Matt Baker, director of the centre for clinical practice at NICE, told the Today programme the benefits of statins in reducing heart disease and stroke outweigh the risks of the drug's side effects.

NICE's draft guidance, published in February, could mean another five million people in England and Wales use statins on top of seven million who already do.

But in a letter to NICE and ministers, a group of leading doctors and academics have expressed concern about the medicalisation of healthy people.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday 11 June.