Zocor (Simvastatin)

Simvastatin (INN) (play /ˈsɪmvəstætɨn/) is a hypolipidemic drug used to control elevated cholesterol, or hypercholesterolemia. Simvastatin is a member of the statin class of pharmaceuticals, is a synthetic derivate of a fermentation product of Aspergillus terreus. It is marketed under the trade names Zocor, Simlup, Simcard, Simvacor, and others, as well as generically.

Dose

Simvastatin is a powerful lipid-lowering drug that can decrease low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels by up to 50%. It is used in doses of 5 mg up to 80 mg. Higher doses (160 mg) have been found to be too toxic, while giving only minimal benefit in terms of lipid lowering.

In secondary prevention, 80 mg per day reduced major cardiovascular events by an absolute rate of 1.2% compared to 20 mg per day in a randomized controlled trial.

Uses

There is also evidence of raising high density lipoprotein (HDL) and lowering triglyceride (TG) levels.

Simvastatin and other statins may inhibit the progression of atherosclerosis beyond their effects on LDL. Many explanations have been proposed, for example its inhibitory effect on macrophages in the atherosclerotic plaque lesions.

In one non-randomized study, simvastatin halved the risk of developing dementia or Parkinson's disease.