The CTT Study was one of the largest meta-analyses of statin clinical trial data in the world.

Led by researchers at the University of Oxford, the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) Collaboration analysed data from 23 randomised studies, including nearly 155,000 participants. Using this large combined dataset, the researchers examined the effects of statin treatment and assessed how often muscle-related symptoms were reported across different groups of patients. The findings were published in The Lancet in 2022, with a further CTT Collaboration paper published in 2026 building on this work.

Morph solution

The CTT project demonstrates how animation can provide a flexible and effective way to communicate research findings. The animation was designed to evolve alongside the study, with updates reflecting new data as results were published.

Dissemination Animation – we produced a 2D explainer for the CTT Study, translating complex clinical data into a clear, visually engaging format. By highlighting the key findings and their implications, it enabled the Oxford Population Health team to share results effectively with both public and healthcare audiences.
Animation Updates – an initial version communicated the first round of findings. The animation was later updated when the final results were published in The Lancet in February 2026.

CTT Dissemination Animation

As we get older, high levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ in our blood… can lead to fatty material building up in the walls of our arteries.

This can cause our arteries to become narrower or even blocked, stopping our blood flowing properly.

If this happens in our heart or brain, it can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

These can cause death or life-changing disability.

A widely available and affordable type of medication, called statins can lower our levels of bad cholesterol.

Statins have been tested in many clinical trials around the world.

In the highest quality trials large numbers of volunteers were randomly split into two groups one given a statin tablet and the other a matching dummy tablet, called a placebo.

Then scientists compared the health of each group over a period of years.

As neither group, nor clinical trial staff, knew which type of tablet they had been given the comparison between the groups was as fair as possible.

The results showed that statins are really effective at reducing heart attacks and strokes and that the benefits of taking them hugely outweigh any risks.

However, concerns about possible side effects have led some people to stop taking statins or decide against starting them.

To find out if this is really the case, a group of researchers looked at all the information from these high-quality big clinical trials.

They organised millions of pieces of information, from around 155,000 trial participants into a database.

Then they searched statin packaging leaflets for reports of medical problems listed as potential side effects to see if it made any difference whether people had taken the statins or the placebo.

The researchers found that memory loss or dementia, depression sleep disturbance, erectile dysfunction, weight gain, nausea, fatigue or headache and nearly all the other conditions listed as potential side effects occurred just as often in people taking the placebo as in those taking statins.

For example, each year the number of reports of memory impairment was 0.2% in those taking the statins, but also 0.2% in those taking the placebo.

This means that while people may notice these symptoms whilst taking statins there is now good evidence that they are not caused by the statin.

There was a very small increase in risk — about 0.1% in abnormal liver blood test results but no increase in serious liver conditions.

We already knew that almost all muscle problems, over 90%, are not caused by statins at all.

The very small number of muscle problems that were caused by a statin were generally mild and mainly occurred in the first year of treatment.

Statins can slightly increase the chance of developing diabetes mainly in those already at higher risk.

Taken together with what we already knew the new findings show that statins do not cause most of the possible side effects listed in the packaging leaflets.

Statins reduce your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke and the benefits increase if the treatment is taken for a number of years.

For most people, the benefits of statins will hugely outweigh any potential side effects.

Morph have the creative knack of translating what can be tricky science into engaging animations that look fun and eye-catching. The animation has been really well-received by the audience.

Sophia Wilkinson, Comms and Public Engagement, University of Oxford