Are Statins in Current Use Reduces Risk Of HIV Rebound On Suppressive HAART?

Statin exposure was associated with reduced risk of virological failure based on 19,324 HIV-infected US-Veterans who started HAART 1995–2011 study says.

Statins besides their lowering cholesterol effects are also known for such functions as improvement of endothelial dysfunction, increased nitric oxide production, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and stabilisation of atherosclerotic plaques. Statins also have in vitro antiviral effects, most notably against hepatitis C virus (HCV). The anti HCV-effect has been clinically confirmed in a large retrospective study on US Veterans.

Even before the recognition of the high prevalence of HIV- and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-related dyslipidemia, statins were known to interfere with HIV-1 replication in vitro, yet, clinical studies had never confirmed these data. Scientists hypothesised several molecular and cellular mechanisms for this.

In a recently published paper in PLOS Medicine, Dr Henning Drechsler from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center reported that statin exposure was associated with reduced risk of virological failure based on 19,324 HIV-infected US-Veterans who started HAART 1995–2011. These results highlight the importance of time-updated medication exposure models for observational studies.