Statins can affect Alzheimer’s disease
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A newly published editorial in Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs has concluded that statins, the widely used cholesterol drugs, “probably strike at the heart of the sporadic Alzheimer’s disease-inducing mechanism” (Expert Opin. Investig. Drugs (Dec. 2006) 15(12):1479-1485). The editorial, “Can statins put the brakes on Alzheimer’s disease?”, reviews current research into the potential benefits that statins may offer for the prevention or treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and concludes that statins can affect Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in at least two ways: by reducing cerebrovascular damage and by inhibiting some of the biochemical pathways believed to be implicated in the disease process.
This may become welcome good news for AD patients and their families. Statins are well-known, widely available cholesterol-lowering drugs with a well-established track record of safety and may offer a relatively straightforward regulatory path to a new treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Statins are the biggest-selling prescription pills in pharmaceutical history with estimated 2004 global sales of $26 billion. Further trials are needed to advance these findings according to the editorial.