Discovery and development of statins

The discovery of HMG-CoA (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA) reductase inhibitors, called statins, was a breakthrough in the prevention of hypercholesterolemia and related diseases. Hypercholesterolemia is considered to be one of the major risk factors for atherosclerosis which often leads to cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and peripheral vascular diseases.[1] The statins inhibit cholesterol synthesis in the body and that leads to reduction in blood cholesterol levels, which is thought to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and diseases caused by it.[2]

  1. ^ Christians, Uwe; Jacobsen, Wolfgang; Floren, Leslie C. (October 1998). "Metabolism and Drug Interactions of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibitors in Transplant Patients: Are the Statins Mechanistically Similar?". Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 80 (1): 1–34. doi:10.1016/S0163-7258(98)00016-3. PMID 9804052.
  2. ^ Tobert, Jonathan A. (July 2003). "Lovastatin and beyond: The history of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 2 (7): 517–526. doi:10.1038/nrd1112. PMID 12815379. S2CID 3344720.