Simvastatin 'not effective' treatment for secondary progressive MS

Getty/Gannet77

By Ella Pickover, PA Media

A widely-prescribed statin does not slow disability progression for people with a certain form of multiple sclerosis, a new trial has concluded.

Researchers wanted to assess whether simvastatin could help people with secondary progressive MS.

One of the people who took part in the study said she was “massively disappointed” with the results of the trial. But the MS Society said that the trial was still a “huge milestone” in MS research.

The 7-year MS-STAT study, which involved almost 1,000 patients over 31 sites across the UK, concluded that simvastatin is not an effective neuro-protective treatment for secondary progressive MS.

But researchers told delegates at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis conference in Copenhagen that the trial results would increase understanding of the biology of progressive MS.

“I’m massively disappointed that the trial didn’t produce a new treatment,” said secondary progressive MS patient Jacqueline Krarup.

Ms Krarup, who was one of the first to join the trial, said: “Just being on the trial was such a positive experience for me. When you have secondary progressive MS you can feel forgotten, so having regular appointments and time with MS specialists was invaluable.”