The popular cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin which was created to lower cholesterol may have additional benefits. According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, atorvastatin, sold in the United States as Lipitor, can also prevent deaths from infection and respiratory illnesses.
Patients who participated in a clinical trial that measured the drug's effectiveness in lowering cholesterol have been followed since the trial ended in 2003. Researchers have discovered the group has experienced "legacy effects," including a 14 percent lower mortality rate when compared to the placebo group, says cnn.com. The lower death rate is credited to a 36 percent decrease in deaths from infection and respiratory illness.
The findings surprised researchers. "The result is very unexpected," Peter Sever, the study’s main author told cnn.com. "The benefits of statins for preventing heart attacks and strokes are well-established, but after long-term follow-up the most significant effects seem to be on deaths from other causes. It’s quite remarkable that there is still this difference between the two groups, eight years after the trial finished."
Other experts aren't convinced that Lipitor prevents infections. "It doesn’t sell me that 'Wow, this is now going to prevent infections,' it just doesn’t," Dr. Vincent Bufalino, a cardiologist and national spokesman for the American Heart Association, told cnn.com.
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