Statins (HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) - a class of drug used to lower cholesterol levels - Biotech, Pharma and Life Science Channel
Statins (or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors) are a class of drug used to lower cholesterol levels by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which plays a central role in the production of cholesterol in the liver. Increased cholesterol levels have been associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and statins are therefore used in the prevention of these diseases. Randomized controlled trials have shown that they are most effective in those already suffering from cardiovascular disease (secondary prevention), but they are also advocated and used extensively in those without previous CVD but with elevated cholesterol levels and other risk factors (such as diabetes and high blood pressure) that increase a person's risk.
The best-selling of the statins is atorvastatin, marketed as Lipitor and manufactured by Pfizer. By 2003 it had become the best-selling pharmaceutical in history, with Pfizer reporting sales of $12.4 billion in 2008. As of 2010, a number of statins are on the market: atorvastatin (Lipitor and Torvast), fluvastatin (Lescol), lovastatin (Mevacor, Altocor, Altoprev), pitavastatin (Livalo, Pitava), pravastatin (Pravachol, Selektine, Lipostat), rosuvastatin (Crestor) and simvastatin (Zocor, Lipex). Several combination preparations of a statin and another agent—such as ezetimibe/simvastatin, sold as Vytorin.
Source: Wikipedia
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News Articles
WOONSOCKET, R.I., May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- High cholesterol is one of the major risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke,[1] which can be well managed with a...
Decades of Improving Cholesterol Levels Abruptly Ended in 2008, PLOS ONE Study Finds
MADISON, N.J., May 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Decades of declines in LDL cholesterol blood levels, a key marker of death risk from heart disease, abruptly ended in 2008, and may have stalled since,...
Benefit of statins for impotence uncertain
"Statins could be a cheap and effective treatment for erectile dysfunction," reports the Daily Mail. Sadly, for those affected by erectile dysfunction (impotence), the Mail’s claim is no...
Adherence to generic cholesterol-lowering drugs associated with decrease in total costs of care
SAN DIEGO, April 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- People who regularly take statins to reduce high cholesterol will see lower hospitalization rates according to a new study presented today at the Academy...
Low risk of kidney damage from high-dose statins
Much of the media is reporting the findings of a major study looking at whether 'cholesterol-busting' statins are linked to hospital admissions for acute kidney injury. The Mail Online website war...
SAN FRANCISCO, March 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Adding extended-release (ER) niacin to statins does not reduce the chances of high risk patients having a heart attack or stroke, Oxford University scient...
Mediterranean diet cuts heart and stroke risk
"Mediterranean diet 'cuts strokes and heart attacks in at-risk groups'," The Guardian advises. Along with much of the global media, The Guardian reports on a study that found that eating a d...
The introduction of generic statins has kick-started a decline that will see the global statins market lose over US$7 billion in revenue by 2018, states the latest report by business intelligence...
Generic Statins to Slash Global Market Value by 2018.
The introduction of generic statins has kick-started a decline that will see the global statins market lose over US$7 billion in revenue by 2018, states the latest report by business intelligence...
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA -- (Marketwire) -- 02/12/13 -- Miraculins Inc. (TSX VENTURE: MOM), a medical diagnostic company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing diagnostic tests and risk asse...
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Clinical Trials
Randomized Trial of Imaging Versus Risk Factor-Based Therapy for Plaque Regression
Background: - Atherosclerosis (thickening of the artery walls caused by cholesterol and other deposits) commonly occurs in the heart vessels and carotid (neck) arteries of adults. This i...
Effect of a Decision Aid About Statin Use in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus
Background- Statins are a safe and effective therapy to reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes; however some patients are not prescribed statins, others do not take it...
Statins in Proteinuric Nephropathies
End stage renal disease (ESRD) is rapidly growing worldwide. Patients with ESRD have increased morbidity and mortality mostly because of a dramatic excess of cardiovascular disease. Thus,...
Statin therapy has been shown to efficiently reduce mortality in patients with coronary artery disease and myocardial infarction, partially as a result of the lipid-lowering properties of...
Effect of Statins on Oxidative Stress and Endothelial Progenitor Cells
Individuals with a high cholesterol level, diabetes or metabolic syndrome (collection of abnormalities such as high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels [fat], obesity, high blood gluc...
Stenting in Renal Dysfunction Caused by Atherosclerotic Renal Artery Stenosis
Background: Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS) is associated with progressive loss of renal function and is one of the most important causes of renal failure in the elderly. Cur...
The Effect of Eplerenone and Atorvastatin on Markers of Collagen Turnover in Diastolic Heart Failure
To investigate whether the medicines eplerenone or atorvastatin have a favourable effect on diastolic heart failure. Eplerenone is a drug that has been shown to be beneficial in Chronic H...
Effects of Statin and Ezetimibe Association on Kinetics of Artificial Chilomicrons
Efects of statin and ezetimibe association on kinetics of artificial chylomicrons in men with stable coronary heart disease (CHD). Background: The rate (kinetics) of chylomicrons r...
Study Title: Evaluation of chylomicrons metabolism in sub-clinical atherosclerosis in patients whit Heterozigous Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH) treated with statin plus ezetimibe....
Antiplatelet and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Statins and Ezetimibe
Among patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), it is not clear if the pleiotropic effects of cholesterol reduction differ between high-dose simvastatin alone and combined ezetim...
PubMed Articles
BACKGROUND: Statins are among the most prescribed drugs worldwide to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events. Interindividual variability in drug response is a major clinical problem and is of concer...
Part of the efficacy of statins in the prevention of cardiovascular events can be attributed to their blood pressure-lowering effect, but clinical trials primarily designed to investigate this effect...
Emerging anti-inflammatory drugs for atherosclerosis.
Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Inflammation is responsible for initiation and progression of atherosclerosis, and leads to plaque v...
BACKGROUND: In spontaneous reporting databases, reports of well-established drug-event associations may mask alerts that arise from other drugs (drug competition bias). However, a symmetrical event-co...
How to balance cardiometabolic benefits and risks of statins.
Interventional radiology has had to evolve constantly because there is the ever-present competition and threat from other specialties within medicine, surgery, and research. The development of new tec...
High-risk subjects with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) are at high risk for cardiovascular events and frequently require potent statins or combined lipid-lowering therapy to achieve lipid targets a...
The development of multi-drug resistance to antibiotics during the last years and the few number of new active molecules launched on the market have limited the treatment of some infectious diseases....
Are statins beneficial for viral pneumonia?
Statins and Cancer-Related Mortality: An Open Question.
HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, statins and pleiotropic effects have been associated with both increased and decreased cancer risk. This letter intends to contribute to ascertaining the real role of sta...
Videos
Statin Drugs are Poison
MIT scientist Raymond Francis discusses the ineffectiveness of Statin drugs. He sheds light on why they are used, what damage they cause, and why NOT to use ...
