New test suggests source of statin side effects

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new panel of tests aimed at finding out how drugs may damage cells has turned up a series of interactions that may explain some of the serious side effects of statin drugs, researchers said on Sunday.

Statins, the popular cholesterol-lowering drugs, may interact with at least one blood pressure drug to damage the mitochondria, the powerhouses of cells, the researchers reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

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Their test looks at gene function, ATP levels and other measures of how well the mitochondria are working.

Many patients who take statins have reported side effects that include muscle pain and weakness. The cause is not well understood but Mootha has long suspected the mitochondria are involved. The effects have been hard to pin down because studies of different groups have produced conflicting results.

Medline Pluse