Simvastatin Doesn't Benefit Patients with Alzheimer Disease

Several lines of indirect evidence suggest that statins favorably influence the course of Alzheimer disease. To test this theory, researchers randomized 406 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer disease to receive daily simvastatin (40 mg) or placebo. At baseline, mean LDL and HDL cholesterol levels were 126 mg/dL and 61 mg/dL, respectively.

At 18 months, mean declines in cognition and function — according to various standardized scores — were virtually identical in the statin and placebo groups.