Simvastatin, a drug used against cholesterol, could slow the progression of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), currently incurable.
“Even though we are at the beginning, we believe Simvastatin could change lives.” A new British study published on April 10 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) suggests promising results for a treatment for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), an incurable disease that disables millions of people around the world.
During their study, British researchers used clinical data from the University College London who had followed 140 people between the ages of 18 and 65 with SPPS. For two years, the participants had either taken 80 mg of Simvastatin a day, a cholesterol drug that is taken as a pill, or a placebo. Thanks to an MRI as well as questionnaires on the daily life of the patients, the researchers were able to examine their level of handicap and cholesterol. They were thus able to observe that in people who took Simvastatin, the loss of brain volume was 43% less than in those who took a placebo. In these participants, they also observed improved scores in the questionnaire measuring the impact of multiple sclerosis on their daily life.
During their study, the researchers developed two models. With the former, the effects of Simvastatin on clinical measures (physical and cognitive) and brain atrophy were mediated by changes in cholesterol while the latter was completely independent of cholesterol. In the latter, simvastatin had a direct effect on clinical measures and MRI results. Conclusion: The effects of Simvastatin on clinical outcomes and brain atrophy were largely independent of cholesterol.
One of the first treatments capable of slowing the progression of the disease?
So while the study showed that simvastatin had a positive effect in delaying disability progression and slowing brain atrophy in people with SPPS, researchers aren’t sure how and why.
“My study tells us that satines help patients with multiple sclerosis for different reasons than how they help people lower their cholesterol,” says Dr. Eshaghi who conducted the study.
Now, a phase 3 will have to confirm if Simvastatin can lead to one of the first treatments to slow down or stop the progression of SPPS. “Simvastatin is one of the most promising treatments for progressive MS. People who suffer from this disease have waited decades for a drug that works, that’s why it’s so exciting,” enthuses the Professor Chataway, who also participated in the study.
5000 new cases each year
Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 100,000 people in France and 5,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the country. It is due to a dysregulation of the immune system, which attacks the brain and nerve fibers by destroying the myelin sheaths responsible for protecting neurons. Gradually, patients lose the use of their limbs, have vision, motor and sensory disturbances. The disease first manifests in a cyclic form before becoming progressive. Thus, the transition from MS to SPPS is usually so gradual that it is often not recognized until several years later.
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