Statin study could lead to test for gene variant

By ALICIA CHANG AP SCIENCE WRITER Scientists may have found a way to test for and possibly avoid the most serious side effect of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, one of the top-selling medicines in the world. In rare cases, statins can cause muscle pain and weakness. Researchers have identified a genetic variation that seems to predict more than half of these cases. People on statins who have the variant were about five to 17 times more likely to develop muscle problems, a serious side effect that can lead to muscle breakdown, kidney failure and death. The finding raises hope that a test could be developed to screen heart patients to find out who is at greatest risk. Normally, muscle weakness caused by statins affects 1 out of 10,000 patients a year. "It could become a very simple check," said Rory Collins of the University... [read full story]