Cholesterol-lowering drugs help reduce Covid-19 deaths: study

WUHAN: Commonly used cholesterol-lowering statin drugs may help reduce the death rate in hospitalised Covid-19 patients, according to a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Animal studies have shown that statin drugs can improve immune cell responses, reduce inflammation, and slow the progression of lung injury. However, it was unclear how clinical outcomes in patients with Covid-19 would be affected by the use of statins, either alone or in combination with other drugs.

In search of answers, researchers at the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University conducted the study, involving 13,981 Covid-19 patients in 21 hospitals in Hubei Province, among which 1,219 received statins.

After a follow-up of 28 days, researchers found that the death rate of the statin group was 5.2 per cent, lower than the 9.4 per cent death rate of the non-statin group.

The large-scale study also showed that the use of statin drugs was associated with a decreased incidence of invasive mechanical ventilation, admission to intensive care units, and acute respiratory distress syndrome in Covid-19 patients. Besides this, those who took statins had much lower levels of inflammation biomarkers than those who did not, indicating that the drugs can prevent patients from progressing to severe illness.

Coronavirus cases exceed 10m mark worldwide

According to researchers, 319 patients in the study used statins combined with angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs), and 603 used statins combined with other blood pressure medicines. The study showed that adding an ACE inhibitor or an ARB did not increase the death risk in patients.

"These results proved the safety and efficacy of statin drugs in treating hospitalized Covid-19 patients," said lead researcher Li Hongliang, adding that the statins are promising drugs for Covid-19, especially when there is no approved vaccine or treatment for the disease.

Global coronavirus cases have exceeded 10 million, marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months.

The figure is roughly double the number of severe influenza illnesses recorded annually, according to the World Health Organisation.

The milestone comes as many hard-hit countries are easing lockdowns while making extensive alterations to work and social life that could last for a year or more until a vaccine is available.