Web-based app helps people accurately assess need for statin

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Using a Web-based app, most people correctly identified their need for a cholesterol-lowering statin and took the drug appropriately without a prescription, according to a new study.

Published online April 8, 2024, by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the study included 1,196 adults who used the app, which is based on current guidelines for statin use. Their average LDL (bad) cholesterol level was about 140 mg/dL. In general, LDL levels should be 100 or lower and even less (below 70 or even 55) for people with heart disease.

Nearly 91% of the participants correctly determined whether they should or shouldn't take a statin, as compared with a doctor's assessment. Most continued on to the six-month treatment phase, and 98% correctly used the recommended drug (a 5-milligram dose of rosuvastatin [Crestor]), achieving a 35% drop in their LDL levels.

The app is being developed by the drug's maker, AstraZeneca, based on FDA guidance, but it still requires regulatory approval. The goal is to enable people to assess their need for a statin and start the drug without a physician's prescription.