Statins cut first major cardiovascular events 30% in adults over 70

A heart attack or stroke can arrive after decades of apparently ordinary life. For older adults, the question has been whether starting a statin late still prevents that first major cardiovascular event. In the 10-year STAREE trial, Monash University researchers found a 30% lower risk among independently living adults older than 70 who received statin therapy rather than a placebo.

Nearly 10,000 participants took part in the randomized controlled trial, making it one of the largest prevention studies of cardiovascular disease in older people. STAREE — the Statins in Reducing Events in the Elderly trial — was published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the 2026 European Society of Cardiology Congress. Its focus was a population historically left out of many clinical trials.

The setting matters. More than 3,400 GPs took part across Australia, and the trial was conducted in the community. Mark Nelson, a Monash researcher and GP, said the evidence gives general practitioners a stronger basis for decisions about cardiovascular health in older patients.

And so what, concretely? An older person who is otherwise living independently now has a clearer evidence base for a conversation with their GP about whether a statin is appropriate. The finding may also prompt updated treatment guidelines, which Sophia Zoungas said she hopes clinicians will be able to use. It does not mean every person older than 70 should automatically take a statin: the trial population and the individual patient’s circumstances still matter.

The result arrives as cardiovascular disease affects an estimated 600 million people in 2025, with global prevalence expected to reach more than 1 billion affected adults in 2050. In Australia, an estimated 21,000 older people experience major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks and strokes each year. Those figures explain the potential reach of prevention, while the trial’s community setting gives the result a practical path from research into medical consultations.