Big statin side-effect list largely not caused by the drugs, study finds

A Lancet meta-analysis of 19 randomized trials involving about 124,000 participants over roughly 4.5 years finds that 62 of the 66 side-effects listed for statins have no solid evidence of being caused by the drugs; only four (liver test changes, minor liver abnormalities, urine changes, tissue swelling) have evidence supporting them. Overall, the risk of side-effects is very small and the cardiovascular benefits of statins—reducing heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths—greatly outweigh harms, prompting calls to update labeling to better reflect the evidence and reassure patients and doctors.