By Liz Highleyman

Simvastatin (Zocor) Tablet

Recent studies have revealed that statin drugs -- usually administered to manage elevated cholesterol in an attempt to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease -- have various other effects as well, including activity against hepatitis C virus (HCV).

In a laboratory study presented at the recent 59th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD 2008) in San Francisco, investigators looked at the activity of one drug in this class, simvastatin (Zocor), against hepatitis B virus (HBV).

As background, the researchers noted that they previously reported that simvastatin had significant in vitro activity against HBV at concentrations that can easily be attained in humans using typically prescribed doses. Epidemiological and laboratory evidence suggests simvastatin also may help prevent hepatocellular carcinoma.

In the present study, cultures of HBV-producing HepG2 2.15 cells were treated with 9 consecutive daily doses of simvastatin. The researchers tested the drug both against natural wild-type HBV and virus that had developed common mutations conferring resistance to lamivudine (Epivir-HBV) and adefovir (Hepsera). Simvastatin was found to have antiviral activity against both wild-type and drug-resistant HBV.

"Comparable efficacy against a panel of clinically relevant drug resistant viruses is yet another indicator of the potential usefulness of simvastatin for treatment of HBV," the investigators stated. "Whether or not simvastatin is a new direction in combating the most common chronic infectious disease in the world remains to be determined."

Studies to assess whether simvastatin demonstrates additive efficacy, synergism, or antagonism when combined with anti-HBV nucleoside analogs such as lamivudine and adefovir are currently underway, they added.

11/21/08

Reference
T Bader, B Korba, M Bronze. Drug-resistant and Wild-type Strains of HBV Are Inhibited Equally by Simvastatin. 59th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD 2008). San Francisco. October 31-November 4, 2008. Abstract 877.