|  | Conditions Treatments | Cholesterol

The History of Statins

Statin drugs are used to lower blood serum cholesterol levels. They work by blocking substances used by your body to create cholesterol and by helping your body to re-absorb cholesterol it creates. Although early statin drugs were derived from natural sources that have been around for thousands of years, the isolation and synthesis of similar substances is a relatively new drug technology.

  1. Red Rice Yeast

    • Red rice yeast is a type of yeast grown on rice. It is a basic food staple in many Asian countries and is a primary ingredient in Chinese red barbecued pork. Red rice yeast contains the same active ingredient, lovastatin, as the first statin drug, Mevacor.

    Early Experimentation

    • The discovery of the effects of statin compounds resulted in the first experimental cholesterol inhibitor in the 1970s. Testing in the 1980s showed lovastatin to be effective in reducing cholesterol levels in people volunteering for test studies.

    Lovastatin

    • The first lovastatin based drug was approved for sale under the brand name Mevacor in 1987. By 1994, evidence mounted of the reduction of mortality reduction in people with high cholesterol because of lovastatin.

    Type-I Statins

    • Statin drugs that are derived from natural sources are called Type I. Type I statins include lovastatin, pravastatin, and simvastatin.

    Type-II Statins

    • Type II statins are synthesized statin drugs. They aren't extracted from natural sources and, as a result, are more plentiful. Type II statins were developed after a number of years of extracting statins from natural sources. Type II statins include fluvastatin, cerivastatin, atorvastatin and rosuvastatin.

    Recently Approved Statin

    • The FDA recently approved a new statin drug. Pitavastatin, sold under the brand name Livalo, is a synthetic type-II statin drug introduced by Kowa Pharmaceuticals. According to the manufacturer, pitavastatin is more effective than other statins at preventing the production of cholesterol in the body. As such, it is more effective at lowering high cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol - Related Articles