In 1,880 older adults already taking a statin, a trial found stopping was noninferior to continuing at 2 years, with more events in the stop group

What the research found

NEJM published a randomized trial on 7 November 2026. Rodondi and colleagues assigned 1,880 older adults who were already taking a statin for primary prevention, had at least two chronic conditions, and had no known cardiovascular disease. Mean age was 77.5 years, and 46.9 percent were women. 938 were assigned to stop the statin and 942 to continue. At 2 years, the difference in restricted mean event-free time was -2.0 weeks (95 percent CI -3.7 to -0.3), which met the trial noninferiority test (P < 0.001). Over a median of 103 weeks, 119 people (12.7 percent) who stopped and 87 people (9.2 percent) who continued had a primary-outcome event, a major cardiovascular event or death. Serious adverse events were 43.0 percent versus 39.8 percent. The trial conclusion is that stopping was noninferior to continuing for that outcome at 2 years. The abstract used here does not give a hazard ratio. This card does not say anyone should stop a statin. That decision stays with the clinician who prescribed it. DOI 10.1056/NEJMoa2606634. Not medical advice. Not a substitute for a prescribed medicine. Off-label prescription use is clinician-only. VitaLonga does not diagnose, treat, or cure disease. Never start, stop, or replace a prescription with a supplement on the basis of a headline.

Evidence level: Clinical trial. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.

Read the original at NEJM