Statins for multiple sclerosis

Approved to reduce cholesterol levels, the statin family of blockbuster drugs also might be useful in treating autoimmune diseases. It appears that they work in this context by reducing the capacity of the immune system to present disease antigens and by skewing the immune system towards a regulatory Th2 phenotype.

Last week, researchers from the University of California at San Francisco and colleagues published in Nature that statin treatment significantly inhibited or reversed disease symptoms in mouse models of multiple sclerosis. Mice treated at the onset of clinical symptoms had significantly reduced symptoms in a model of chronic MS when given 1 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg daily of Lipitor atorvastatin from Pfizer Inc. (p<0.001). Both doses also significantly reduced disease severity after MS symptoms were established (p<0.001)...