Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Support Group

Results from German MS/statins trial
Published Story by hollie
http://msnews.acceleratedcure.org/...
In addition to lowering cholesterol levels, the class of drugs known as
statins have also been shown to affect the immune system, and for this
reason several of these drugs are being evaluated as potential MS
treatments. Statins also have the benefit of being taken in pill form
instead of having to be injected like current MS drugs. Results from a
recent German clinical trial [37] of statins in MS have just been
published in PLOS One. (This is an open access journal so you can read
it for yourself!) In this trial, 36 RRMS subjects took 80 mg of
atorvastatin (aka Lipitor) for nine months. If they were on IFN-beta
already, they continued with this treatment as well, otherwise they
took atorvastatin by itself. MRI and other measurements taken at
months 6 and 9 were compared with the same measurements taken at
baseline (prior to administration of atorvastatin). continued...
Results showed a significant decrease in contrast-enhancing lesions at
the end of the study compared with baseline, and this effect was
greater in the subjects who had a combination of IFN-beta and
atorvastatin. However, the absolute numbers were small (for instance,
the mean number of lesions in subjects overall was 2 at baseline
compared with 1.5 at study end). The number and volume of T2 lesions
increased over the study, but there was no control group and therefore
no way to determine what effect (positive or negative) the treatment
might have had on this. EDSS was unchanged and relapse rate decreased
over the course of the study. In general, the treatment was tolerated
well, although a few subjects had to reduce or discontinue statin
treatment temporarily, or drop out altogether, due to side effects or
elevated serum enzymes.
Immunological tests showed that statin treatment did not have an
immunosuppressive effect, but that levels of the anti-inflammatory
cytokine IL-10 were elevated. The authors conclude that atorvastatin
treatment appears to be generally safe for people with MS, alone or in
combination with IFN-beta, and appears to reduce the number of
Gd-enhancing lesions. They recommend that to reduce side effects,
future trials should have a dose escalation phase in the beginning
rather than start right off with 80 mg, and that a controlled trial
using statins as an add-on to other drugs would be an ethical way to
further evaluate the possible benefits of this drug class in MS.

[37]
http://www.plosone.org/article/inf...
Posted on 04/23/08, 07:04 pm