Cholesterol Meds May Treat MS

Statins, medication traditionally used to treat high blood pressure, has proven effective in treating an advanced stage of multiple sclerosis, according to a new study.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal The Lancet, sought to determine if statins can help slow symptoms of advancing multiple sclerosis (MS), namely shrinkage of the brain.

Simvastatins, or 'statins,' traditionally are used to treat patients with high cholesterol levels by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA redcutase. This enzyme aids the liver in producing an estimated 70 percent of the total cholesterol in the body.

However, researchers from the University College London have determined that statins have immonomoulatory and neuro-protective properties as well that could make them beneficial in high dosage to patients suffering from secondary progressive multiple sclerosis.

To test the drug's potential, researchers treated 140 patients with secondary progressive MS with either an 80mg statin dosage or a placebo. This treatment went on for every day for two years. The progression of each patient's MS was also recorded with regular brain scans.

At the end of the study, researcher found that a high daily dose of statins successfully slowed brain shrinkage by an average of 43 percent, compared to the impact of the placebo. Researchers also noted that the simvastatin was also extremely well tolerated by the patients, who exhibited no serious adverse effects even when given regular high dosage of the drug.

This justified the researchers' theory that statins would be safe enough even in maximized dosing due to their excellent safety profile after being commonly used in the world health market for so long. Likewise, the cost of the drug is relatively low, making it an ideal treatment option.

There are also currently no certified treatments for secondary progressive MS, which affects about half of all initial MS patients after an average of 10 years, regardless of treatment. This secondary onset of the disease is characterized by elevated symptoms of the first, including problems with motor function, balance, and even blindness. It is the hope that statin-based medication will be the first treatments to slow the advance of this disease.

Still, it should be noted that this testing was only state-two clinical trial, and must be advanced to a larger and more comprehensive testing before any conclusions about the drug can be confidently made.

The study was published in The Lancet on March 19.