Statin May Slow Progressive MS

LYON — High-dose simvastatin (Zocor) significantly reduced brain atrophy and slowed advancement of disability for 2 years in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, researchers said here.

In a 140-patient randomized trial, patients receiving 80 mg/day of simvastatin had an annualized rate of brain volume loss of just 0.298% compared with 0.589% among those given placebo (P=0.003), reported Jeremy Chataway, MA, PhD, of University College London in England.

Significant reductions in disability progression, as measured by EDSS and MS Impact Score (MSIS), were also seen with simvastatin in the trial, he told attendees at the annual meeting of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis.

On the other hand, differences between the treatment groups in specific functional outcomes, such as walking ability and hand dexterity, did not reach statistical significance.

But, Chataway noted, despite the high dose of simvastatin, adverse effects were similar between groups and there were no cases of serious muscle toxicity. “Treatment was generally very well tolerated,” he said.

With the advent of several effective drugs to prevent MS relapses, the major unmet clinical need in the disease is treatment for progressive forms. Most patients with relapsing-remitting MS eventually develop the secondary progressive form, in which disability continues to increase even though acute attacks have stopped.

Because statin drugs have a range of anti-inflammatory effects, apart from their cholesterol-lowering activity, they have attracted attention as a possible therapy for MS.

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