Scientists report that when people with a transplanted kidney take fluvastatin, a drug against cardiovascular disease, their response to the drug is not influenced by their genetic composition.
People who receive a transplanted kidney are at risk of developing potentially fatal premature cardiovascular disease. One way to prevent this from happening is by taking fluvastatin, a drug that significantly reduces myocardial infarction and cardiac death. But patients’ genetic makeup has been reported to prevent similar cholesterol-lowering drugs, such as pravastatin, from working properly.
To examine potential effects of a genetic makeup on the efficacy of fluvastatin after patients receive a kidney transplant, Hallvard Holdaas and colleagues examined 42 genetic variations previously reported to affect fluvastatin metabolism, cholesterol regulation, cardiovascular disease, and the functioning of a transplanted kidney.
The scientists compared the effects of these genetic variations in 707 renal transplant patients who received fluvastatin and 697 patients who received a placebo and showed that the variations do not increase risks of developing a cardiovascular disease or a kidney disease. Consequently, statin therapy continues to be recommended to patients who received a transplanted kidney, regardless of their genetic makeup, the researchers concluded. -American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
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