Have you ever used or tried to buy non-prescription statins, pills sold through pharmacies in the UK under the brand name Zocor Heart Pro? Or have you bought them for someone in your household?
You are exceptional! Not many people seem to buy these pills — we want to understand who has been using them, how and why. Would you be willing to participate in an interview?
What would an interview involve?
Interviews can be arranged at your convenience and will last between 30 and 90 minutes. They will be recorded, with your permission.
We have research partners in Manchester and are prepared to travel, so location isn't a problem for us.
Everything you say will be kept confidential, data will be stored securely, and all results will be anonymised.
We can offer you a participation fee of £25 to thank you for your time and effort.
Want to know more about the project?
This project is funded by the government through its Economic and Social Research Council. Ethical review has been carried out by the University of Sussex. You can find out more on our information sheet.
The project aims to investigate the ways that medicines that are intended to prevent illness (rather than cure them) might be used, when people can buy them without a prescription. Zocor Heart Pro is the first preventative drug of this kind to be sold in the UK, but other preventative drugs are likely to be licensed for sale in pharmacies in the future. We want to investigate why and how people use this product and what the implications might be for regulation of other drugs. Results will be written up in a project report for policy-makers and papers for academic audiences in social science and pharmacy.
How to get in touch?
Dr Catherine Will, Department of Sociology, University of Sussex.
- E c.will@sussex.ac.uk
- T 01273 678449
- F 01273 873162