Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 363, Issue 9421, 15 May 2004, Pages 1607-1608
The Lancet

Research Letters
Oral simvastatin treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(04)16205-3Get rights and content

Summary

Many drugs have been approved for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis but are only partly effective, are injected, and are expensive. We aimed to investigate use of of oral simvastatin (80 mg) in 30 individuals with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. The mean number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions at months 4, 5, and 6 of treatment was compared with the mean number of lesions noted on pretreatment brain MRI scans. Number and volume of Gd-enhancing lesions declined by 44%, (p<0·0001) and 41% (p=0·0018), respectively. Treatment was well tolerated. Oral simvastatin might inhibit inflammatory components of multiple sclerosis that lead to neurological disability.

References (5)

  • DS Goodin et al.

    Disease modifying therapies in multiple sclerosis: report of the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology and the MS Council for Clinical Practice Guidelines

    Neurology

    (2002)
  • O Neuhavs et al.

    Statins as immunomodulators: comparison with interferon-beta Ib in MS

    Neurology

    (2002)
There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (0)

View full text