Among community-dwelling older adults, treatment with atorvastatin demonstrated a 30% relative reduction in major cardiovascular events over roughly six years compared with placebo but did not result in longer disability-free survival, based on findings from the STAREE trial presented at ESC Congress 2026 and simultaneously published in NEJM.

The trial enrolled nearly 5,000 adults over the age of 70 years with no history of cardiovascular disease, diabetes or dementia and randomized them to receive either atorvastatin (40 mg once daily) or identical placebo. Approximately 52% of participants were women.

Results showed a primary cardiovascular endpoint event of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke or coronary revascularization occurred in 297 participants receiving atorvastatin after six months compared with 412 participants receiving placebo.

Death from any cause, dementia or persistent physical disability were similar across the two groups (637 in the atorvastatin group and 676 participants in the placebo group). Additionally, serious adverse events occurred in 2.7% of participants in both groups. However, musculoskeletal, hepatobiliary and diabetes-related adverse events were more common in the atorvastatin group.

“A notable finding is that the lower incidence of major, nonfatal cardiovascular events with atorvastatin than with placebo did not result in a corresponding improvement in disability-frees survival,” said the study authors. “Explanations for this result might include the fact that 80% of the deaths in the trial were from non-cardiovascular causes.”

Sophia Zoungas, MD, lead researcher from the Monash University School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Melbourne, Australia, said the trial results add value at a time when “the world’s population [is] ageing at an unprecedented rate [and when] answering fundamental questions about healthy longevity has become a universal imperative.”

“The risk of heart attack and stroke is a concern for older people and knowing there is an effective measure for lowering that risk will be a huge reassurance to older people and their families,” she said. “We hope to see updated guidelines to help clinicians make use of these new findings.”

Visit ACC’s ESC Congress 2026 coverage page to explore the latest science and key takeaways shaping cardiovascular care.

Clinical Topics: Dyslipidemia, Geriatric Cardiology, Prevention, Nonstatins, Novel Agents, Statins

Keywords: ESC Congress, ESC26, Aged, Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors, Cardiovascular Diseases, Primary Prevention