Statins Seem to Reduce Efficacy of Flu Vaccines

By Joe Elia

Edited by Susan Sadoughi, MD, and Richard Saitz, MD, MPH, FACP, FASAM

Two studies suggest that statins may lower the efficacy of flu vaccines, although commentators call the results "hypothesis generating" and not a reason to change current practice.

One study comprising some 7000 vaccinated elders found that titers to various influenza strains were up to two thirds lower in those on statins versus those not taking them.

The other study analyzed the rate of medically attended acute respiratory illness over nine flu seasons in a large managed care organization. Similar to the first study, it found lower vaccine effectiveness against such acute illnesses — by roughly 10% to 20% — among those on statins.

Writing in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, commentators call the results "biologically plausible," given statins' known effects on the immune system. Nonetheless, they advise against changing patient care until the apparent effect is more thoroughly explored.