Statins may inhibit hepatitis C virus, study says

Early testing suggests potential for new options in fighting the hardy pathogen.

By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. Aug. 28, 2006.

Statins prevent the hepatitis C virus from replicating -- a phenomenon that was amplified when combined with other drugs used to treat this disease, according to a study published in the July Hepatology. The authors hope their findings will lead to the use of these medications for HCV-infected patients, either as a booster of current regimens or as a substitute for treatments that may cause significant side effects.

"Many patients need more effective anti-hepatitis C therapy to prevent the progress of the disease," said Dr. Masanori Ikeda, the study's lead author and a professor in the department of molecular biology at Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan.

Researchers tested the activity of statin drugs against HCV in cell cultures, finding that fluvastatin had the most dramatic effect and lovastatin the least.

Experts found the conclusions intriguing because, if this result is further replicated in other studies, it could lead to a new use for drugs that are already widely available and provide additional options for the 45% of patients who are not helped by current therapies.

"When you look at something, you never know what you're going to find," said Norman Sussman, MD, a hepatologist and associate professor of medicine and surgery at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "Things show up in the strangest places. You've got to always keep an open mind."