Statin News and Research

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Statins are drugs used to lower cholesterol. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries, narrowing or even blocking them.

Statins offer great potential as anti-aging therapy

Not only do statins extend lives by lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease, but new research in the September 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that they may extend lifespans as well. Specifically, statins may reduce the rate at which telomeres shorten, a key factor in the natural aging process. This opens the door for using statins, or derivatives of statins, as an anti-aging therapy.

30 Aug 2013

Genetic variations in genes could put patients at risk for statin-associated muscle injury: Study

Statins, a class of drugs used to lower cholesterol, are among the best selling drugs in North America and around the world. However, statin myopathy, which results in muscle pain and weakness, is a common side effect affecting up to 10 percent of statin users. A recent study led by Dr. Richard Kim of the Lawson Health Research Institute, in collaboration with Dr. Robert Hegele of Robarts Research Institute, and researchers from Vanderbilt University, found that commonly occurring genetic variations in a person's genes could put them at risk for statin-associated muscle injury.

7 Aug 2013

Statins: A class of cholesterol-lowering drugs may help treat Rett Syndrome

Statins, a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs found in millions of medicine cabinets, may help treat Rett Syndrome, according to a study published today in Nature Genetics. The Rett Syndrome Research Trust (RSRT) funded this work with generous support from the Rett Syndrome Research Trust UK and Rett Syndrome Research & Treatment Foundation.

30 Jul 2013

Par Pharmaceutical receives final ANDA approval for generic version of Trilipix

Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. today announced that it has received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for fenofibric acid EQ 45 mg and EQ 135 mg delayed-release capsules.

19 Jul 2013

Omthera submits Epanova NDA to FDA for treatment of severe hypertriglyceridemia

Omthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking approval for the marketing and sale of Epanova™ for the treatment for patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (triglyceride levels greater than or equal to 500mg/dL).

9 Jul 2013

Study indicates "statin-intolerant" patients can reduce cholesterol by visiting lipid clinic treatment

Up to 15 percent of patients who take cholesterol-lowering statin medications experience muscle pain or other side effects, and many patients simply stop taking the drugs.

30 Jun 2013

Edge Therapeutics announces FDA acceptance of IND application for EG-1962

Edge Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing life-saving hospital products for acute, fatal or debilitating conditions, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted the Company's Investigational New Drug application for EG-1962, a novel bio-absorbable nimodipine microparticle formulation.

10 Jun 2013

Using cholesterol-lowering statins may be associated with musculoskeletal conditions

Using cholesterol-lowering statins may be associated with musculoskeletal conditions, arthropathies (joint diseases) and injuries, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

4 Jun 2013

Omthera to be acquired by AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Omthera Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company based in Princeton, New Jersey, focused on the development and commercialization of new therapies for abnormal levels of lipids in the blood, referred to as dyslipidemia.

28 May 2013

Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half in randomized double blind trial

Coenzyme Q10 decreases all cause mortality by half, according to the results of a multicentre randomised double blind trial presented today at Heart Failure 2013 congress.

27 May 2013

Ongoing clinical study to evaluate benefits of high-dose simvastatin for patients with SAH

Can treatment with high doses of a cholesterol-lowering statin drug improve outcomes for patients with stroke caused by rupture and bleeding of brain aneurysms? An ongoing clinical trial will soon find out, according to an article in the May issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

22 May 2013

Study: Air and noise pollution may increase risk of cardiovascular disease

Both fine-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to German researchers who have conducted a large population study, in which both factors were considered simultaneously.

21 May 2013

Genetic markers improve detection of individuals with high risk for CHD

The study comprised over 24,000 Finnish subjects and was led by Professor Samuli Ripatti. The results revealed that a panel of 28 genetic markers improved detection of individuals with high risk for coronary heart disease (10-year risk ≥20%) over traditional risk factors.

21 May 2013

Simvastatin hinders positive effects of exercise for obese adults, say researchers

Statins, the most widely prescribed drugs worldwide, are often suggested to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease in individuals with obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of medical disorders including excess body fat and/or high levels of blood pressure, blood sugar and/or cholesterol.

17 May 2013

Researchers identify clue to explain the reversible memory loss caused by statins

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and physicians continue to document that some patients experience fuzzy thinking and memory loss while taking statins, a class of global top-selling cholesterol-lowering drugs.

13 May 2013

Men who take statins are less likely to die from prostate cancer, study finds

Men with prostate cancer who take cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins are significantly less likely to die from their cancer than men who don't take such medication, according to study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

3 May 2013

Coenzyme Q10 offsets cellular changes that are linked to side-effect of some statin drugs: Study

A laboratory study has shown for the first time that coenzyme Q10 offsets the cellular changes that are linked to a side-effect of some statin drugs - an increased risk of adult-onset diabetes.

11 Apr 2013

Modifiable lifestyle factors may prevent progression of Barrett's-related esophageal cancer

An estimated 20 million Americans have chronic heartburn. About 2 million of these people have Barrett's esophagus, a precancerous condition that affects the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

2 Apr 2013

High-dose rosuvastatin reduces acute kidney injury caused by imaging dye in ACS patients

High doses of a popular cholesterol-lowering drug significantly reduced the rate of acute kidney injury caused by dye used in imaging in acute coronary syndrome patients who underwent a coronary procedure, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

12 Mar 2013

Addition of niacin to statin does not improve HDL function

While two large clinical trials recently showed that adding niacin to statin therapy failed to improve clinical outcomes despite a significant increase in HDL-C levels, little is known about exactly why the increased HDL-C levels did not reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke.