A general assessment of the safety of HMG CoA reductase inhibitors (statins)

Few principles in medicine today are as well accepted as the benefits of using statins to reduce cardiovascular risk factors and to prevent cardiovascular disease. The recent withdrawal of a statin (cerivastatin) has lead to a re-examination of all statins, and an attempt to better assess the risk-benefit ratio of this class of drugs. Although the benefits of statin treatment are well known from a myriad of clinical trials, the safety of these compounds has not been an issue since lovastatin was first introduced in 1987. This report provides a brief review of statin safety, and reiterates the excellent profile of this class of drugs.