Statins May be Helpful for Treatment of MS
October 8, 2002
The debate over the safety of a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins widened this week after a new report suggested the controversial medications may be useful against multiple sclerosis (MS). In the study, published in the October 8th issue of the journal Neurology, researchers with Karl-Franzens University in Austria treated immune cells taken from the blood samples of 74 people with MS and 25 patients without the disorder with simvastatin (Zocor), lovastatin (Mevacor) and mevastatin.
According to the report's author, Dr. Juan J. Archelos, the medications were found to "significantly modify the expression of immune molecules on activated T cells in MS, which are supposed to be crucial for MS." T cells are believed to be responsible for tissue damage in patients suffering from the disease.
However, the safety of cholesterol-lowering medications has been under debate since the 2001 Baycol (Cerivastatin) scandal. On August 8, 2001 Baycol was removed from the market due to its tendency to cause myositis, a muscle disorder that may lead to a potentially fatal kidney condition known as rhabdomyolysis. Physicians involved in the report are calling for continued research into the possible uses of statins.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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